Keep Building

Something stood out to me in Nehemiah 4 this morning. The opposition got louder because the building was working.The wall was going up. The gaps were closing. And Sanballat was furious.

   Now At first, the attack was just words. They mocked the builders, questioned their ability and made fun of what they were building. And Nehemiah could have spent all his time defending himself and explaining what God had called them to do. I know I've done that a few times. I let the enemy distract me from building to explain myself. But not Nehemiah.

        Instead, he prayed and kept building.

Then the threats became more serious. And Scripture tells us exactly how he handled it. “But we prayed to our God and guarded the city day and night to protect ourselves.” Nehemiah 4:9

     I love that. They prayed and they guarded. They trusted God while staying watchful. But then the battle moved inside the wall. And the builders got tired. There was rubble everywhere, the work was heavy, and the people started wondering if they could actually finish. And I understand that. Saying yes to God can be exciting in the beginning. But after you've carried stones for a while, dealt with opposition, cleaned up messes and kept building while regular life keeps happening you can get tired.

   Sometimes the loudest voice telling us to quit isn't coming from outside the wall. It's the tired voice inside us saying, I don't know if I can keep doing this.

    But Nehemiah reminded them, Don’t be afraid of the enemy! Remember the Lord, who is great and glorious, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes! Yesterday we saw people building shoulder to shoulder. Today we're reminded why they were building. There were people behind that wall. Families. Sons and daughters. Another generation.

    So they kept going, one hand carrying the load and the other ready to defend what they were building.

    Now for us, people aren't the enemy. But we do have to guard against fear, discouragement, distraction and division while we build. And Nehemiah gives us the reminder I think we need most “Our God will fight for us!” Nehemiah 4:20

    So if you're tired today, don't automatically assume tired means finished.

   Pray. Stay watchful. Remember why you're building. And keep your hands on your section of the wall. Remember, You don't have to fight every battle yourself. Our God will fight for us.

Love Pastor Mandy 

MandiesDandies / Ark of Hope 

Daily reading Nehemiah 4