Impression= Action or Depression

I have a friend who once gave me this formula. Impression without expression leads to depression. He didn't actually give that formula just to me, he gave it in context of a personal story he told about his trying to circumvent an impression from God. What reminded me of that formula was preparation for teaching the first chapter of the book of Nehemiah.
First, Nehemiah became aware of a problem with his people in Jerusalem. His awareness came in response to a question posed to his brother who had just arrived from Jerusalem. Quite often we ask people how things are with them, their family or friends. Just as often, we immediately forget their response, or file it away in our "information" file. Nehemiah didn't file it away. He immediately began to act on the information he had received. His actions included;

1. Prayer and fasting (indicating the intensity of his concern)
2. Formulating a plan of action
3. Going through the proper steps to launch his plan.

He had no experience that prepared him to carry out his plan. He only had a passion to do something. His passion led him to make himself available to God. It has been said that God is more interested in our availability than He is in our ability. That appeared to be the case with Nehemiah. As he made himself available to God, miraculous things began to happen. Not only did God give him favor with his master the king, but He also arranged for all the details of the trip including the materials necessary for the repair work on the walls and gates of Jerusalem. Not to be overlooked is the fact that even with God's provision, Nehemiah had to face great opposition to the work.
Here's what I take from the Nehemiah story;

1. When I become aware of a need, that is God's impression for me to get involved.
2. I don't have to know all the answers in order to get involved.
3. I don't select the level of my involvement, God does.
4. Success doesn't come easily. I will have to work at it in the face of opposition.

My last "take away" doesn't come directly from Nehemiah, but from my friend who gave me the formula. Should I choose to ignore the need or the impression from God, I can expect to go through a valley of separation in my fellowship with God. That separation won't be repaired until I acknowledge the sin of ignoring God's impression, repent, and make myself available to Him once again. It also comes from personal experience.