By Robert Hurtgen

There are two sides to planning. The positive side of planning takes an idea, fleshes it out and acts on it. Like a conductor unites individual instruments into one orchestra, so you bring all the pieces of your idea together and act on them.

The negative side of planning though begins similarly. An idea, a dream is spoken. The dream though is often lost and overwhelmed in the process. Over time in an process that never seems to end, dreams drift to regretful sentences. "I should have." "I could have." "Why didn't I?" We can get lost in the process between idea to completion.

In the Bible, a man named Nehemiah received the devastating news that the walls of his home city, hundreds of miles away, were destroyed. Everything that he saw a precious was flattened. He was burdened to act. To do something.

The problem though is at the time he received this devastating news Nehemiah was cupbearer to the king. Meaning that not only did he not have the resources to repair the walls, but he also did not have the freedom even to attempt a restoration project. His service was to the king in his courtroom. There was little he could do so he did what he could; he prayed and planned.

For months Nehemiah prayed and planned. Finally, the Lord orchestrated a moment where Nehemiah could voice his burden. Taking his life into his hands, he shared his problem with the king and his burden to repair the walls. Not only did the king release him but provided him with the resources necessary to rebuild the walls. The months of prayer and planning were part of the process God used to prepare Nehemiah.

Often, we assume that only a completed project is evidence of God's work. Did you ever think that maybe God was at work as much in the process as the project?

Nehemiah reminds us that God was at work during the months of preparation just as much as he was at work when the walls of the city were rebuilt. During those long months of prayer and speculation, God's sweet grace prepared Nehemiah. The process was just as important as the project.

We need to remember that God is at work in the process and the project. During the process, he is forming, shaping, and changing you. Embrace process. God is preparing something great within you.