When Fear Meets Faith
When Fear Meets Faith: Lessons from Nehemiah's Boldest Moment
This weekend we continued our "Rebuilding the Walls" series, and honestly, I'm still thinking about Nehemiah standing before King Artaxerxes with everything on the line.
Picture it: Four months of prayer. One dangerous moment. A question that could change everything—or cost him his life.
The king notices Nehemiah's sadness and asks why. In Persian court culture, this was a massive violation of protocol. Cupbearers were supposed to be cheerful, entertaining—the life of the party. Showing sadness implied the king couldn't make you happy, which was basically an insult to royal authority.
Nehemiah's response? "I was very much afraid."
I love the honesty there. No fake bravado. Just raw acknowledgment: This is terrifying.
But here's what gets me—fear didn't stop him from being faithful.
When the king asks, "What do you want?" Nehemiah shoots up what I call an "arrow prayer"—one of those quick, desperate, "God-help-me-NOW" prayers. Then he makes his request. And it's not small. He asks for permission to leave, resources from the king's own forest, letters of safe passage, and a specific timeline.
He asks BIG because he serves a BIG God.
The result? The king grants everything. Why? Nehemiah says it himself: "Because the gracious hand of my God was on me."
But notice—God's provision didn't eliminate opposition. The moment Nehemiah starts moving toward Jerusalem, enemies emerge. Sanballat and Tobiah are "very much disturbed" that someone would dare help God's people.
Here's what I'm learning: When you step into what God's calling you to do, expect resistance. Opposition isn't a sign you're on the wrong path—it's often confirmation you're on the right one.
For our Frontier Church family, this hits home. We're watching God open doors in our community. We've got a summer intern, Connor, who's already 40% funded after one week of asking. We're planning student ministry, VBS, basketball camps. We're seeing new faces every Sunday.
But growth brings challenges. Not everyone will celebrate. Some will criticize. Resources will stretch. The enemy will resist.
So what do we do?
We follow Nehemiah's pattern: Pray long. Step boldly. Ask big. Plan well. Move forward anyway.
This week, I'm challenging myself (and our church) with one specific, bold prayer request for 2026. Not vague. Not safe. Something that requires God to show up.
What's yours? What door is God opening that terrifies you but also excites you? What would you ask for if you knew God was listening and able?
Write it down. Pray it daily. Then plan accordingly—because faith without works is dead, and prayers without plans often remain just wishes.
Nehemiah was afraid AND faithful. That's the combination that changes everything.
Let's go,
Pastor Travis
P.S. - If you're looking for a place to take your next faith step, we'd love to have you at Frontier Church. We meet Sundays at 10:30am in Aledo. Come ready to see what God's building.
Blessings,
Dr. Travis Young
This weekend we continued our "Rebuilding the Walls" series, and honestly, I'm still thinking about Nehemiah standing before King Artaxerxes with everything on the line.
Picture it: Four months of prayer. One dangerous moment. A question that could change everything—or cost him his life.
The king notices Nehemiah's sadness and asks why. In Persian court culture, this was a massive violation of protocol. Cupbearers were supposed to be cheerful, entertaining—the life of the party. Showing sadness implied the king couldn't make you happy, which was basically an insult to royal authority.
Nehemiah's response? "I was very much afraid."
I love the honesty there. No fake bravado. Just raw acknowledgment: This is terrifying.
But here's what gets me—fear didn't stop him from being faithful.
When the king asks, "What do you want?" Nehemiah shoots up what I call an "arrow prayer"—one of those quick, desperate, "God-help-me-NOW" prayers. Then he makes his request. And it's not small. He asks for permission to leave, resources from the king's own forest, letters of safe passage, and a specific timeline.
He asks BIG because he serves a BIG God.
The result? The king grants everything. Why? Nehemiah says it himself: "Because the gracious hand of my God was on me."
But notice—God's provision didn't eliminate opposition. The moment Nehemiah starts moving toward Jerusalem, enemies emerge. Sanballat and Tobiah are "very much disturbed" that someone would dare help God's people.
Here's what I'm learning: When you step into what God's calling you to do, expect resistance. Opposition isn't a sign you're on the wrong path—it's often confirmation you're on the right one.
For our Frontier Church family, this hits home. We're watching God open doors in our community. We've got a summer intern, Connor, who's already 40% funded after one week of asking. We're planning student ministry, VBS, basketball camps. We're seeing new faces every Sunday.
But growth brings challenges. Not everyone will celebrate. Some will criticize. Resources will stretch. The enemy will resist.
So what do we do?
We follow Nehemiah's pattern: Pray long. Step boldly. Ask big. Plan well. Move forward anyway.
This week, I'm challenging myself (and our church) with one specific, bold prayer request for 2026. Not vague. Not safe. Something that requires God to show up.
What's yours? What door is God opening that terrifies you but also excites you? What would you ask for if you knew God was listening and able?
Write it down. Pray it daily. Then plan accordingly—because faith without works is dead, and prayers without plans often remain just wishes.
Nehemiah was afraid AND faithful. That's the combination that changes everything.
Let's go,
Pastor Travis
P.S. - If you're looking for a place to take your next faith step, we'd love to have you at Frontier Church. We meet Sundays at 10:30am in Aledo. Come ready to see what God's building.
Blessings,
Dr. Travis Young
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