God bless you in the name of Jesus Christ, who faced every challenge head on and refused to be afraid (John 18:11).
When Nehemiah began to restore the walls of Jerusalem, his enemies opposed him in many ways as they tried to hinder the work. They mocked Nehemiah and accused him falsely. Sanballat indignantly mocked him saying, “What do these feeble Jews? will they fortify themselves? will they sacrifice? will they make an end in a day? will they revive the stones out of the heaps of the rubbish which are burned?”
Does that mocking attitude sound familiar? Give these words a slightly different twist to fit our particular situation today, and we’ll recognize these familiar similar words of intimidation often spoken toward God’s people. We would do well to remember and respond as Nehemiah did.
He simply prayed and continued to oversee the rebuilding of the city walls, letting nothing stop the work. When Nehemiah’s enemies escalated their threats toward those working on the wall, he confronted their lies (Nehemiah 6:8) and explained, that the attacks were designed to make them afraid and stop the work. So, he prayed for strength to continue the work (Nehemiah 6:9).
Nehemiah refused to succumb to his weariness or the threats of his enemies. Neither did he let his lack of experience in building deter him. He was a governor and a wine steward, not a construction contractor. Although he may have lacked the natural building skills and background, he accomplished what he did with the supernatural ability of God!
Nehemiah was driven by his own inner passion to correct the heartbreaking condition of God’s city. This burning passion ignited a fire within him that could not be quenched by weariness, mockery, or threats. That’s an example we can all follow.
Too many people complain about things, instead of following Nehemiah’s example. If we are moved in a godly manner our passion should motivate us to change things through the power and favor of God. Even if we lack the natural ability to bring the needed change, operating with the power of God beats criticizing, condemning and complaining.
For the 12 years while Nehemiah was Governor of Judah, he refused to draw the food allowance provided for governors. The former governors laid heavy burdens on the people by demanding food, wine, and silver from them. Even their assistants took advantage of the people. But Nehemiah refused what every other governor received, using his own financial supply to feed the Jewish leaders and notable visitors who sat at his table while he worked on the wall (Nehemiah 5:17-18).
Although Nehemiah deserved and was granted personal provisions to sustain him while he worked to restore Jerusalem’s wall, he refused to use that provision. Instead, he fed everyone from his own personal wealth for the duration of the rebuilding project. He didn’t want anyone accuse him of doing what he did for personal gain. We could sure use more Nehemiah’s serving in the body of Christ today.