The essence of leadership is inspiring others to follow. To lead in this way, we must understand the importance of vision, strategy, teamwork and unity. However, understanding the sequence and timing of these key elements of leadership can be the difference between leading so others will follow and just taking a walk.

I’m thankful we have examples of effective leadership in God’s Word, and one of the best examples of a healthy pattern of leadership is found in the Book of Nehemiah. Nehemiah was a change-making leader who led in a way that glorified God. Biblical leadership not only moves people from point A to point B, but it also reveals the glory of God. In fact, that’s the whole point of church leadership: to reveal the glory of God in everything we do.

Nehemiah is a book for those leading change, starting new churches, strengthening existing churches, or seeking to build momentum. Basically, if you’re leading at any level and attempting to make a real difference, you must begin by asking how and where God will receive glory. In Nehemiah, we see an effective pattern of leadership that reveals God’s glory — a pattern we can replicate in any context.

In this four-part series, we will track the pattern of leadership in the first six chapters of Nehemiah. We’ll see how desperate need leads to compelling vision; compelling vision leads to inspired work; and inspired work reveals the glory of God.

Let’s start by looking at Nehemiah 1 and the first step for every leader: discovering the desperate need that’s all around us.

At the beginning of Nehemiah, the people of Israel were in exile, and the city of Jerusalem was a distant memory. The people were scattered and broken, and the name of the Lord was at stake. Enter Nehemiah, minding his own business as cupbearer to the king. One day he heard some words that changed his life forever.

“They said to me, ‘Those who survived the exile and are back in the province are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire’” (Nehemiah 1:3).

Something shifted inside Nehemiah’s heart. He discovered a desperate need. Nehemiah would soon cast a compelling vision that would unite the people, but it arose out of a desperate need to rebuild the walls and bring honor once again to the name of the Lord.

There is no shortage of desperate needs all around us. Such needs surround every leader and every church. We just don’t always pay attention or know what to do with them. Maybe we’ve desensitized ourselves. Without even realizing it, we can step over the needs at our own front doors while doing ministry. We certainly can’t meet every need, but what need is God asking us to meet?

When you face a huge task, remind yourself who God is.

When the news about Jerusalem came to Nehemiah, his God-honoring heart set in motion a chain of events. This is a pattern worth repeating.

Intimacy with God
Nehemiah’s prayer in verses 4-11 reveals his intimacy with God. Nehemiah’s first action was not vision casting, but prayer and fasting. That’s no coincidence or happenstance. That’s a pattern.

“When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven” (Nehemiah 1:4).

How we react to difficulty reveals our spiritual depth and maturity. What’s your first response when you face an overwhelming circumstance, confront a problem you don’t know how to solve, or realize the walls you’ve built up in your life are crashing down? Intimacy with God provides the foundation of our faith, the source of our courage, and the creativity we need to solve the problems we encounter.

A Leader with Heart
Let’s focus for a moment on Nehemiah’s first response to what he heard. He wept for days. Before vision or action, there is an emotional response in the heart of the leader. Something breaks inside a godly leader upon seeing a desperate need because he or she knows the situation breaks the heart of God.

Leaders who are in tune with the Holy Spirit will also remain in tune with the desperate needs around them. This was true of Nehemiah, it was true of Jesus (Luke 19:41), and it’s true of us today.

When your heart breaks for something, that’s a good indication that God is speaking to you. So, what breaks your heart? What need is God leading you to impact next?

Faith That Overcomes Fear
Desperate need is scary, but so is the big vision that follows. I’ve discovered in ministry that the key to success is putting yourself in a position that requires faith. If you can accomplish your plan for launch, revitalization or change all by yourself, with no help and no prayer, then you need a new vision — one that might just frighten you.

That’s what Nehemiah did. He not only felt God leading him to rebuild the walls — a tough task, for sure — but he also came up with a plan to fund it that would take him out of his comfort zone. He decided to approach the king about his need, a move that could have been deadly.

What did Nehemiah do before he took any public action? He encouraged himself in the Lord and took responsibility for the situation. He made sure his own heart was right. Faith that overcomes fear must first refocus on God.

When you face a huge task, remind yourself who God is. God already knew about this need, and He was already moving in the background to arrange things. Nehemiah was the cupbearer of the king who would provide the funding because God put Nehemiah in that position. Where has God providentially placed you to impact your world?

Then take personal responsibility for the situation. Stand in the gap and confess the sin that led to the desperate need you see, regardless of whether you were the direct cause. Get your heart right before the Lord, and allow yourself to grieve over what grieves God. Nehemiah knew this wasn’t an issue of brick and mortar; it was spiritual in nature.

The desperate need you see is more than just the need. There’s a deeper spiritual issue involved. Real impact doesn’t just provide a temporal shift, but also an eternal change. Look for the spiritual need under the surface. See what God wants to transform.

To lead change that creates spiritual fruit and impact, begin by finding the desperate need. Then trace the steps that reveal the glory of God. Intimacy with God and a fearless faith produce a vision that does just that.

See also Part 2 in this series.