In verse 4, we see that Nehemiah took a risk. He was very scared when he approached King Artaxerxes to help him, but when God intervened, Nehemiah’s requests were spectacularly granted. This gave Nehemiah confidence that his cause and methods were in accordance with God’s purposesThis week’s talk will consolidate all the information that we have heard in the last four weeks to consider how Nehemiah’s example inspires us to be confident, (or at least fairly confident) that what we are doing is in line with God’s purposes.Drawing on my introduction to beekeeping during my ordination retreat (see last week’s Connected) I consider how bees within a bee colony instinctively work for the survival and thriving of the colony. Similarly, Nehemiah was able to intuit that God’s blessing was upon his decisions and his work towards the flourishing of the community.This was possible because of Nehemiah’s:Prayerfulness,Knowledge of scripture and theology,Homework and meticulous preparation, andContinuing to discern whether what he was doing was still what God was asking of him.While some people were unsupportive, the majority supported his work and were dedicated to the task. The people of Israel came together in support of re-building the walls, and the community thrived because of it. These things helped to confirm the call God had placed on Nehemiah’s life and he gained confidence in his service to God and his calling.