Read Nehemiah 6
God, the creator of all things, is capable to accomplish everything apart from us, yet in His love, He chooses to bring us into His mission. As we walk in step with the Lord, He enables us to know His heartbeat, to hear His voice, and to be His hands and feet in a broken world. Serving the Lord not only helps us to grow closer to our Heavenly Father, but it also helps others.
Nehemiah was a man who loved the Lord. His people returned to Jerusalem to find the protective walls and gates of their land were destroyed. The walls protected Jerusalem from enemies, maintained a physical and spiritual boundary for the people, and helped them to maintain their God-given identity as the people of God. After enduring exile and living under an enemies’ rule, Nehemiah’s heart was grieved to hear that his people were in trouble and disgrace upon their return. When Nehemiah heard the news of destruction, he mourned, fasted, and prayed before God. Despite the possible risk of death or punishment from King Artaxerxes, Nehemiah prayed to God and then boldly asked the him if he could go and rebuild the wall in Jerusalem. God was faithful to Nehemiah as the king granted his request. The king also guaranteed him safety while traveling, as well as materials to the build the wall. Nehemiah gave God all the credit. The Lord’s hand was upon Nehemiah as he found favor with the King Artaxerxes.
Regardless of the ease of gaining his request, Nehemiah’s task was far from easy! As others heard what Nehemiah was doing, they plotted to harm him and stop his plans. These enemies went to great lengths to thwart what God was trying to accomplish through Nehemiah. They tried to trick Nehemiah to meet them in an outside village on multiple occasions. When those plans did not work, they tried to scare him with rumors, saying that it was reported that the Jews were plotting a revolt and that Nehemiah was trying to be king. This would have been treason. Right after this attempt to stop the building of the wall, Nehemiah prayed, “But now, O God, strengthen my hands.” Nehemiah’s source was the Lord. He had a difficult task before him that was riddled with opposition, fear, confusion, and distrust. Even after praying this prayer, the enemies yet again tried to trick him. They paid a false prophet to try to persuade Nehemiah to hide for safety in an area of the temple where he was not permitted to go. The Bible says in Nehemiah 6:12, “Then I perceived that surely God had not sent him, but he uttered his prophecy against me because Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him.” (NASB1995) Nehemiah’s prayer for strength and his communion with God enabled him to see through the evil plans that attempted to stop the work. It is easy to see all the opposition in this chapter, but I want to focus you on one phrase within Nehemiah 6:9: “But now, O God, strengthen my hands.” (NASB1995) Nehemiah was not successful by his own strength. When opposition came, it drew him nearer to the Lord. He looked to God to give him the strength, discernment, guidance, and motivation that he needed to keep him going with such a difficult task.
I think oftentimes as Christians when we see opposition, we doubt our involvement in the task, or we hide. We say to ourselves, maybe God does not want this and that is why it is difficult. Nehemiah could have easily been discouraged. He could have questioned why God made it so easy to get the permission to build the wall, yet it was so difficult to build. The Jewish men building the wall had building tools in one hand and weapons in the other because their lives were threatened daily. It would have been easy to quit. Building was too big of a risk and was causing too much division with the neighboring areas. I want to encourage you that when we face opposition, that does not always mean that we are doing something wrong. Satan uses opposition to discourage us, to make us feel like we stepped out of God’s will, or to make us feel like we are too weak to accomplish the things to which God has called us. May you have a heart like Nehemiah. When we genuinely seek to do the will of the Lord, God will give us what we ask. Our will lines up with His will as we stay close to Him.
It may seem like Nehemiah did not pray for much. Sometimes we say those “little prayers” and we do not think much of them. Sometimes we believe God can do huge and amazing miracles, but we forget to ask Him for help in our day to day. We must remember that Nehemiah asking for his hands to be strengthened may have given him the hope, energy, wisdom, and endurance to build the wall so quickly. God gave him the strength to see through evil and press on to accomplish the mission that He laid on Nehemiah’s heart. Through Nehemiah’s faithfulness, the land was restored, and people’s hearts were pointed back to the Lord. Later in the book of Nehemiah, the people returned to the land and the law was read. In Nehemiah 8:6, it says, “Then Ezra blessed the Lord the great God. And all the people answered, ‘Amen, Amen!’ while lifting up their hands; then they bowed low and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground.” (NASB1995) Nehemiah’s heart to see the wall rebuilt corralled a lost people together to hear the Word of the Lord. Their hearts were moved, and they came back to the Father. They confessed their sins and began to live for God. The Lord did not use Nehemiah to slay giants, defeat massive armies, or part seas. However, what God did through Nehemiah was not any less significant. Nehemiah understood his dependence on the Lord for all things. God used Nehemiah to bring His people back to Him (God). There are no small things in the eyes of the Lord. God is able to use all things to accomplish His purpose. May we have a heart that depends on God like Nehemiah. May we seek God’s wisdom even when the world seems to be trying to stop what God wants to do. May we pray continually for strength, so that God can bring us alongside His plan to save His people. Do not neglect your daily dependence on the Lord. You may not see all the ways that God is using those “small prayers” as you ask for strength, but I pray that when you look back on your life, you can see all the ways that God was moving through you and accomplishing His purpose. Look to God daily and He will help you through opposition.
May His Name Be Praised!