Don’t Stop Believing and Building

I just finished my daily readings of the Old Testament in my Chronological Bible. But today I want to share the recent story I read there before I speak to the beauty of the New Testament in days to come. It is the story of Nehemiah and the building of Jerusalem’s wall.

I’ve had plenty of challenges in my life. Many of which were nearly devastating, BUT GOD! Reading about Nehemiah, my “mountains” seem like “molehills” compared to what he faced.

Thankfully, Nehemiah knew what it was like to stand up and fight. He traveled more than 1,000 miles (and not on a jumbo jet) with the permission of his boss, the king of Persia, to rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, the city of his forefathers. This was important work, as the wall was Jerusalem’s first line of defense.

But Nehemiah’s restoration work did not go unopposed. His first enemies are introduced in Nehemiah 2:19, “But when Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite official and Geshem the Arab heard about it, they mocked and ridiculed us”.

This intimidating threesome joined by more people: the Arabs, Ammonites, and the people of Ashdod. Nehemiah’s progress on rebuilding the wall made them “very angry. They all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and stir up trouble against it.”

You might not know a Sanballat, Tobiah, or Geshem, but like me, maybe you’ve met some other naysayers — like discouragement, fatigue, and fear. These are a few of the enemies of restoration and rebuilding.

Discouragement says, “It’s the end of the month and there’s not enough in the bank to cover all your bills.”

Fatigue says, “You’re so tired. You can’t keep this up. You should give up.”

And fear says, “Who do you think you are? You’re not qualified to do this work.”

Nehemiah’s response to HIS enemies of restoration was prayer AND a plan: “But we prayed to our God and posted a guard day and night to meet this threat” (Nehemiah 4:9). He prayed to the mighty God of heaven, and he put a plan in place to deal with his enemies.

Nehemiah didn’t just face opposition from the outside; he faced opposition on the inside, too, from his fellow Jewish people. Verse 4:10 says, “Meanwhile, the people in Judah said, ‘The strength of the laborers is giving out, and there is so much rubble that we cannot rebuild the wall.’”

Do you hear the discouragement, fatigue and fear reverberating in that verse?

Like a great battle cry or a rousing locker room speech before a championship game, Nehemiah stands up and boldly encourages the nobles, the officials, and the rest of the people: “Don’t be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your families, your sons and your daughters, your wives, and your homes.”

With the battle cry “Our God will fight for us!” in their hearts and on their lips, they worked to rebuild the wall from the first light of dawn until the stars came out. Some 52 days later, the wall was completed. No amount of opposition could stop the work of God!

My son stopped by to see me for a couple of hours a few days ago. We both offered our own stories about the challenges and struggles we conquered and see it today as for our good.

Right now, you and your family may be struggling on so many levels. It’s time to build a wall of protection around you. It feels like a long battle with no end in sight, but I feel confident to say this:

Let’s get our “wall-building” tools out (the Word of God and the Armor of God), we remember the Lord — Who is great and awesome! We stand up and fight, like Nehemiah!

When your enemy presses in hard, do not fear.
The battle belongs to the Lord!
Take courage my friend, your redemption is near.
The battle belongs to the Lord!

Thank you, Lord, for giving us Your Word and Your strength to build our wall of faith. WE WILL WIN because the battle belongs to the Lord!