The Nehemiah Project: God-Sized Goals

Nehemiah faced a seemingly impossible task: rebuild Jerusalem's walls while opposition mounted from every side. Experts said it would take years. Critics said it couldn't be done. But in fifty-two days, the impossible became reality. Not because Nehemiah had unlimited resources or perfect conditions, but because he combined strategic planning with unwavering faith. When God gives you a God-sized goal, He also provides God-level provision.

The Kingdom Truth

God-sized goals aren't meant to match your current capacity—they're meant to require His supernatural provision and reveal His power through your faithful execution.

This principle transforms how we approach ambitious Kingdom assignments because it shifts our confidence from our resources to His provision. In God's economy, the goal that seems too big for you is exactly the right size for Him. Your job isn't to figure out how it's possible before you start—it's to obey faithfully while He makes the impossible possible. Nehemiah-level impact requires Nehemiah-level faith.

Devotional

When Vanessa announced her vision to provide job training and employment for 1,000 formerly incarcerated individuals within three years, her board thought she'd lost touch with reality. Her nonprofit had placed maybe 50 people in jobs the previous year. A 20x increase wasn't ambitious—it was delusional.

But Vanessa couldn't shake the conviction that God had given her this Nehemiah moment. She'd seen the need firsthand: thousands of people released from prison each year with criminal records that made employment nearly impossible, leading to devastating recidivism rates. The problem was massive, and incremental solutions weren't working. She needed a God-sized goal.

Like Nehemiah, Vanessa started with prayer and planning. She didn't just announce the vision and hope for miracles—she developed a detailed strategy. She identified which industries were most willing to hire formerly incarcerated workers. She built relationships with parole officers, prison chaplains, and reentry programs. She created a training curriculum that addressed both technical skills and life skills. She recruited business leaders who could open doors.

But she also faced the same opposition Nehemiah encountered. Funders told her to "start smaller and prove the concept." Business partners worried about liability and reputation. Critics questioned whether formerly incarcerated individuals deserved such investment. Every week brought new obstacles that would have justified quitting.

Vanessa's breakthrough came when she stopped defending her goal and started executing it. Like Nehemiah who answered opposition with "I am carrying on a great project and cannot go down," Vanessa focused on building, not debating. She placed her first 10 participants, then 20, then 50. Each success attracted more business partners. Each transformed life attracted more funding. Momentum built as people saw the impossible becoming possible.

Eighteen months into her three-year goal, Vanessa had placed 600 people—ahead of schedule. But more remarkably, 85% of those placed were still employed and thriving. Businesses that initially resisted were now requesting more candidates. Other cities were calling to replicate the model. The God-sized goal hadn't just been reached—it had created a movement.

When asked how she did it, Vanessa's answer was pure Nehemiah: "I didn't. God did. My job was to be faithful with the strategy He gave me and trust Him for the provision. Every time we hit an obstacle I couldn't solve, He opened a door I couldn't have created."

This is the Nehemiah principle for marketplace leaders: God-sized goals don't require you to see the whole path before starting—they require you to take the next faithful step while trusting God sees what you can't. The impossible becomes possible when human strategy meets divine provision.

As you close out this year and look toward the next, the question isn't whether you have the capacity for what God's calling you to build. The question is whether you have the faith to start building anyway.

Reflection

For Your Heart:

• Are you avoiding God-sized goals because you can't see how they're possible, or are you stepping out in faith despite the impossibility?

For Your Work:

• What Kingdom assignment has God placed on your heart that seems too big for your current resources but exactly right for His provision?

For Your Legacy:

• Will you be remembered for cautious, achievable goals or for audacious faith that required God's intervention to accomplish?

This Week's Challenge

Identify one God-sized goal for your marketplace influence—something that would require divine provision to accomplish but would create significant Kingdom impact. Write it down, develop one concrete first step, and take that step this week. Don't wait until you see the whole path; start building like Nehemiah did.

Let's close in prayer.

Heavenly Father,

Forgive me for settling for goals that match my capacity instead of pursuing assignments that require Your provision. Give me Nehemiah-level faith to embrace God-sized goals and Nehemiah-level faithfulness to execute them step by step. Show me what You're calling me to build and give me courage to start even when I can't see how it's possible.

In Jesus' name, Amen.