Dear Priest: Don’t Go Back to the Field

Dear Priest is a series to encourage those who serve in the house of prayer, whether as missionaries or volunteers. God has much to say specifically to those who minister to Him in His house!

If you’ve ever felt torn between a call to the house of prayer and the need to make ends meet, you’re not alone. Even in Scripture, this was a challenge — and God had strong feelings about it.

In Nehemiah 13, Israel had returned from exile to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem. God used Nehemiah to launch this project, but when he returned after being away for a while, he was not happy with what he found.

"I also found out that the portions of the Levites had not been given to them, so that the Levites and the singers, who did the work, had fled each to his field. So I confronted the officials and said, 'Why is the house of God forsaken?' And I gathered them together and set them in their stations." (Nehemiah 13:10-11)

Nehemiah discovered that the Levites, who were supposed to be serving in the house of God full-time, had been forced by lack of financial support to return to farming to provide for themselves and their families. This made Nehemiah furious, and he confronted the officials on their neglect of God's house by neglecting to provide for the Levites. With the tithe reestablished, the Levites were able to return to their rightful temple service.

Why was this so terrible? God had established that all Levite men of a certain age were to serve full-time in His house. They were not supposed to have outside jobs. Their calling was to focus completely on ministering to Him.

"Now these, the singers, the heads of fathers' houses of the Levites, were in the chambers of the temple free from other service, for they were on duty day and night." (1 Chronicles 9:33)

Here's how I see this for today:

God wants the house of prayer to be staffed with full-time priests.

These priests deserve financial support.

They shouldn't need another job to support themselves.

If you're called to the house of prayer, you have FULL PERMISSION from the Word of God to give your all to it. Jump in. Don't hold back. Make it your occupation. God's design is for a partnership team to support you.

Now, sometimes God will lead missionaries to get a job for a particular time and reason (Paul took up tentmaking for a while). Of course, if He's clearly telling you He wants you in a job, obey Him! But I want to challenge the idea that this is typically the best way for missionaries to be provided for. Let God lead you into that decision, not fear of financial lack.

Don't make getting a job your default safety net. If you're called to the house of prayer and you're not feeling clearly, strongly led to a job, don't go looking for one! Throw yourself into partnership development and find your team. Let God prove His faithfulness in providing for you through the giving of the saints.