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"Then the king said to me, 'What do you request?'
So I prayed to the God of heaven.'"
(Nehemiah 2:4)
I almost entitled today's devotion: "Pastoring in a Pandemic". These are some very challenging, unprecedented times in which we live. There is still so much fear and panic about what is happening in our world. Things have settled down some, and I am grateful for that, but we are still living in the midst of a pandemic that has caused over 788,000 deaths worldwide and the loss of multiple tens of millions of jobs and trillions of dollars in the US alone. These are troubled times in which it is hard enough to simply lead yourself. But what if others are looking to you to help lead them? What do you do when you honestly don't have a clue?
The first thing I would tell you is take a deep breath. If you know the Lord and are following His will for your life, then remember that God put you where you are because He knows you can do it. Second, pray. Do what Nehemiah did in our text for today. True, he had a plan and was prepared to tell the king what he had been thinking. But I just love what he does before he speaks to the earthly king: he prays to the Heavenly King. Nehemiah was in uncharted territory; a very real crisis had presented itself to this employee of the King of Persia. It could cost him his life if he expressed sadness in the presence of the king. Nehemiah knew this, and he was in a tight spot when the king not only noticed his sadness, but also asked him, "What do you want?" He prayed to God. I love it!
Next, when you have no idea what to do, do not panic. When your team comes to you for help because your company or church staff has just encountered a seismic problem, the absolute worst thing you can do is throw your hands in the air in despair. I assure you, that is not the reaction your team is looking for. Have you heard the aphorism, "fake it 'til you make it"? I actually agree with it. Everything in you may be tempted to pull your hair out with everyone else, but you are the leader, and you have to do better. Remaining outwardly calm and collected in the midst of chaos will not only help those around you, but it will probably help you start genuinely feeling more calm and collected.
This reminds me of the guy who just would not get out of bed on a Sunday morning to go to church. He was lethargic and just wanted to stay in bed. After dozing off again, his wife jostled him and told him he really needed to get up and get going or they would be late for church. He got upset with his wife and said, "Tell me three good reasons why I should get up and go to church!" She said rather calmly, "Well, first, it is the right thing to do. Second, there are people at church who are depending on you, and third, you are the pastor!"
During these precarious days in which we live, there is a palpable tiredness among those you lead. People are worn out physically, mentally, emotionally, financially, and spiritually. One of the unexpected lessons I learned from my six-week sabbatical was how I can detect quickly when someone is tired and weary.
I sent a survey out to our staff a couple of weeks back and asked them, "On a scale of 1-10, how tired are you?" I sensed some were struggling with burnout. I shared with them that a 1 means you are so tired you cannot hardly take another step. A 10 meant you were on top of the world and ready to take on whatever comes next. Interestingly, of the 11 responses from our pastors and directors, almost every number was given. (The only number not listed was my favorite number: 4.) Yes, we had some 1s, 2s, and 3s, as well as some 8s, 9s, and 10s. I reached out to our team and told them how much I loved them and that I pray for them every day by name. In our next staff meeting, I shared a brief message with them on the importance of rest and taking time off.
The last thing I would offer to you who are called to lead and feel like you're in the dark as to what to do next is this: take the next step, no matter how small it is. Yes, that's right: just do the next thing you need to do. By showing up and leading, you will inspire those who are watching you. By the way, those you lead are not just passively watching you; they are totally fixated on your response in times like these.
If no one has told you lately, let me tell you: you are amazing. Seriously, to lead in a time like this is quite remarkable. True, you do not know how this will end (no one does), but you are much stronger than you may think. I am praying for you, but most of all, God loves you and is only a prayer away. Call on Him, lean into Him, and ask for His guidance.
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