One of the most exciting stories in the Bible is the story
of Nehemiah, and the writing of the book is described in the very first verse
as being his memoirs. To set the story, this was at the time when the walls and
gates of Jerusalem had been destroyed. Although Nehemiah was a long way from
Jerusalem, his ancestors were buried there. Because of the desecration of the city,
Nehemiah carried the burden of wanting to do something, but knowing he could
not accomplish much on his own.
Nehemiah began his quest with a prayer to the Lord. Scripture points out to us that the prayers
were being prayed by those who honored God and specifically they were praying
for success when they went to the king to ask a great favor. At the time,
Nehemiah was the cup bearer to the king.
In the following spring Nehemiah was serving wine to the
king one day when the king noticed there was something obviously troubling his
servant. Upon questioning Nehemiah, the king learned of the wishes for Nehemiah
to be a part in the rebuilding of Jerusalem's city walls and gates. The king
asked, "What can I do to help? Remember that word "help." We will see it again.
Nehemiah told the king of his desire to be sent to
Jerusalem, with letters from the king to the leaders of the places through
which he must travel. Other letters from the king would be issued so Nehemiah
could gather the materials necessary for the construction. The king granted
these requests, knowing the hand of God was on Nehemiah.
On arrival in Jerusalem, Nehemiah surveyed the ruins of the
destroyed walls, gathered the religious and political leaders of the city, and
told them of his intent to rebuild. They were all in agreement and dedicated to
the rebuilding. Scripture inserts right here in the story, "So they began
the good work."
Opposition arose from their enemies, even to the point where
they were having to keep one hand on the tools they used for rebuilding, and
their other hand on their sword or spears. But Nehemiah reminded them,
"The God of heaven will help us
succeed."
The story contains the
list of all those leaders that worked together, and some that did not.
Opposition continued but Nehemiah said, "We prayed to God and he helped us in guarding our city day and
night." When they heard their
enemies were going to attack, a trumpet was sounded for a warning, and as
Nehemiah said again, "Our God will help
us in the fight."
Through all the ups and downs, the wall was completed in
fifty two days, and when the enemies and surrounding nations heard the news,
they became frightened. They realized that this work had been done with the help of God.
Nehemiah, once a personal servant to the king, left all that
behind to go to a faraway place to accomplish a work with God's blessing. He
had a passion for prayer, a passion for the Word of God, a passion for his
personal renewed devotion, and above all, a heart of sacrificial service. If those become the priorities in our lives,
we are going to see good things happen. God is longing to help us.
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