Notes based on 6:30 pm sermon series
2. Nehemiah 2:1-10

Nehemiah waited four months before his prayer was answered. Share about a time when you had to wait a long time for your prayers to be answered.

Read together Psalm 87.

Close your eyes and imagine what it would be like to live in a city where God ruled and everybody loved God. Thank God that he still has a vision for your life and praise him for the fact that he never gives up on you or fails to want the best for you.

1. As the emperor's wine taster, Nehemiah was in a position to make a difference. How hard was it for him to use his opportunity? (vv 3-5)
Do we use our opportunities to witness to others or use our positions for God's glory?
Do we care enough to pray consistently for opportunities?

2. Confidence builds through opportunity and response to opportunity.
We need to move in the right direction like Nehemiah and when given approval do we need to be bold enough to list our needs and make our requests known as he did.
Can we be too scared of asking others for help?

3. Do you suffer from lack of confidence? Share about an occasion when you should have been more bold. Have you ever felt called to do something and then drawn back out of fear or uncertainty?

4. Nehemiah had a vision about the restoration of Jerusalem. What three questions did the emperor have about his mission? Nehemiah had to be clear about his mission and his plans. In what ways can we make ourselves available to God. List the things that can reduce our availability and willingness to fulfil God's purposes for our lives. (This could be quite a long list.)

Light a candle and have a small candle for each person present. Ask people to think of someone else whom they would like to come to know Jesus. Invite people to light a candle for them. Encourage them as they do so to pray for that person that the Light of Jesus will shine into their life, and for themselves that they might be alert to the unexpected opportunities God gives them to bring the light of Jesus into their lives.