The Critical Need for Leadership | Nehemiah 1:1–4 | Message 1
The words of Nehemiah son of Hakaliah:
In the month of Kislev in the twentieth year, while I was in the citadel of Susa, Hanani, one of my brothers, came from Judah with some other men, and I questioned them about the Jewish remnant that had survived the exile, and also about Jerusalem.
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.”
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 1:1–4
Leadership equals influence! And leadership led by the Holy Spirit can make a decisive difference in your life. Why? Because the Christian life moves through different seasons. By His grace, God gives us seasons of rest, blessings, and favor as we walk in obedience. But Scripture never promises that obedience exempts us from trials, tests, or the many challenges of a world broken by sin. It’s in these difficult moments that spiritual leadership becomes an absolute necessity.
When you face a broken relationship, conflict at work, a rebellious child, a health crisis, unexpected loss, or financial strain—how do you respond? Job was a faithful man, yet he was struck from every side, left only with friends who mocked and misread his suffering. My goal in this series is to help you prepare for both blessings and battles. And there is no way to be truly ready without becoming the spiritual leader God has called you to be.
Enter Nehemiah. Did you know that 24 probing questions are posed in this inspired book? In the Hebrew Bible, Ezra and Nehemiah were a single book. Both begin in Persia and tell the story of the Jews after the Babylonian captivity ended in 538 B.C. Imagine: Isaiah prophesied 150 years earlier that King Cyrus, who conquered Babylon in 536 B.C., would allow the Jews to return and rebuild the Jewish Temple that Nebuchadnezzar had destroyed in 586 B.C. (Isaiah 44:28; 45:1; Ezra 1:1–2). According to Josephus (Antiquities of the Jews, Book 11, Chapter 1), Jewish leaders even showed Cyrus Isaiah’s prophecy about him. So impressed, Cyrus recognized his divine calling and issued the decree for the Jews’ return.
Later, Artaxerxes I (458 & 445 B.C.) fulfilled Daniel 9:24–27 by commissioning Ezra and Nehemiah to restore Jerusalem. God placed Nehemiah as the trusted cupbearer (attaché) of King Artaxerxes, opening the door for the exiles’ return. But one thing was still needed: a God-empowered leader. Nehemiah stepped into that role and became a timeless model of leadership.
In this first message, we’ll uncover 11 Leadership Traits from Nehemiah, spread across the book like a blueprint for every believer. As a foundation, I’ll walk you through the eleven specific verses in Nehemiah that teach these irrefutable lessons in leadership.
Nehemiah gave up his privileged Persian post to become a servant-leader in God’s work. George Rawlinson, Oxford professor of Ancient History, notes that hundreds of personal assistants surrounded the Persian king, and as many as 15,000 people were fed daily in the palace. The king rarely dined with others—he was usually served alone. Nehemiah, the cupbearer, lived at the center of this luxury until God’s call disrupted his comfort and summoned him to lead.
Are you hearing that same call?
