When God Stirs Your Heart
Guest Speaker: Rev. Tan Hock Cheng
Before God accomplishes great things through His people, He first prepares their hearts.
In this encouraging message from Nehemiah chapter 1, Rev. Tan Hock Cheng reminds us that God’s calling rarely begins with public recognition or visible ministry. Instead, it often starts quietly—with a burden that He places deep within someone’s heart.
The sermon was shared on a meaningful Sunday that also celebrated the ordination of Pastor Derek Foo. Rev. Tan pointed out that before God publicly affirms a person’s ministry, He has already been faithfully working in that person’s life behind the scenes. The same principle applies to every believer. Before God works through us, He first works within us.
A Burden That Breaks Us
Nehemiah was not a prophet or priest. He served as the cupbearer to the Persian king—a trusted government official living comfortably far from Jerusalem.
Yet when he heard that Jerusalem’s walls had been destroyed and God’s people were living in disgrace, his heart was deeply moved.
Rather than dismissing the problem as someone else’s responsibility, Nehemiah identified with God’s people. Their brokenness became his burden.
Rev. Tan reminded the congregation that God’s calling often begins in exactly this way. Before He gives a vision, He gives a burden. The people, situations, and needs that continually weigh on our hearts may be God’s invitation for us to partner with Him in His work.
Instead of asking what merely concerns us, we should ask what genuinely breaks our hearts. God frequently uses those burdens to reveal His purposes for our lives.
A Prayer That Changes Us
Nehemiah’s first response was not to organise a rebuilding project or create a strategy. His first response was prayer.
He worshipped God, confessed the sins of God’s people—including his own—and reminded himself of God’s covenant promises.
Rev. Tan highlighted three important characteristics of Nehemiah’s prayer:
- It was God-centred, focusing first on God’s character before the problem.
- It was humble, identifying with God’s people rather than blaming others.
- It was anchored in God’s promises, trusting that God remained faithful despite Israel’s failures.
Prayer did more than prepare Nehemiah for ministry. It transformed his own heart.
The sermon reminds us that prayer is not merely about asking God to change our circumstances. Often, God first changes us—deepening our trust, enlarging our faith, and aligning our hearts with His purposes before He changes what is happening around us.
A Faith That Moves Us
After praying, Nehemiah did not remain passive.
He asked God for favour before approaching the king, fully aware that doing so involved significant personal risk.
His example teaches that genuine prayer leads to obedient action.
Faith is not waiting until every obstacle disappears. Faith is trusting God enough to take the next step He places before us.
Rev. Tan encouraged the church not to postpone obedience. When God stirs our hearts, He invites us to respond with willing and available hearts, trusting Him to guide every step.
God Still Calls Ordinary People
One of the central themes of the message was that God is still calling ordinary believers today.
Not everyone is called into full-time ministry, but every follower of Christ is called to faithfully serve wherever God has placed them—whether at home, in the workplace, caring for family members, discipling younger believers, or serving within the local church.
The question is not whether our assignment appears impressive.
The real question is:
Are we still available to God?
God continues to prepare hearts before opening doors. He shapes character before entrusting greater responsibility. He calls people who are willing to say, “Here I am, Lord. Use me.”
A Call to Respond
Rev. Tan concluded by encouraging the congregation to reflect on what God might already be stirring within their hearts.
Perhaps it is a burden for a loved one who has drifted from God. Perhaps it is a ministry opportunity, a person to encourage, or an act of obedience that has been delayed.
Just as God stirred Nehemiah’s heart before rebuilding Jerusalem’s walls, He continues to stir the hearts of His people today.
May we never ignore His gentle prompting, but instead respond with humble hearts, faithful prayer, and courageous obedience.
For when God stirs our hearts, He prepares us before He works through us—and He delights in using ordinary people to accomplish His extraordinary purposes.
