Nehemiah's Perseverance
by Chaplain Jim Robinson
“Be not afraid of them: Remember the Lord.” (Nehemiah 4:14) “Our God will fight for us.” (Nehemiah 4:20b) One Sunday evening recently we had a very good teaching on the first few chapters of Nehemiah. There are so many valuable lessons to be learned in these passages of Scripture.
Nehemiah felt the call of God to leave his comfortable life as cupbearer to the king and rebuild the broken walls of Jerusalem which had been destroyed. With the king’s blessing, Nehemiah set out to accomplish a seemingly difficult task – but it was not his task, it was God’s.
The first thing he had to do was get the support of the people. They had to
catch Nehemiah’s vision.
Once they were on board there was the knowledge that they were working in cooperation
with God (it was a ministry!) that gave Nehemiah and the Israelites the inner
resources to stand and keep working. There were many obstacles – ridicule,
threat of physical attack,
discouragement,
extortion,
compromise,
slander, reachery.
We need to learn the important lessons that they learned.
“But it so happened, when Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, that he was furious and very indignant, and mocked the Jews.” (Nehemiah 4:1) Have you ever experienced trying to carry out God’s call amidst ridicule that you lacked the resources to do what you were attempting? Sometimes the ridicule might be that you don’t have the abilities or plan required. Sometimes this is due to a lack of understanding that there is a detailed plan in your mind, put there by God Himself, and you do not doubt His will or His plan!
“Now it happened, when [they] . . . heard that the walls of Jerusalem were being restored and the gaps were beginning to be closed, that they became very angry, and all of them conspired together to come and attack Jerusalem and create confusion.” (Nehemiah 4:7-8) Have you ever experienced the threat of physical or verbal attack if you continue the ministry God has called you to? Many missionaries have faced this threat.
“. . . with an open letter in his hand. In it was written: ‘It
is reported among the nations, and Geshem says, that
you and the Jews plan to rebel; therefore, according to these rumors, you are
rebuilding the wall, that you may be their king.’” (Nehemiah 6:6)
Have you ever experienced slander while attempting to carry out God’s
call? I think slander is one of the toughest things to face. It is painful
when ones you have trusted turn and attack your character and your very motivation
for carrying out the ministry God has called you to.
No matter what kind of opposition we might face in doing God’s will, God is faithful. He expects us to be faithful as well. I am encouraged by Nehemiah 6:16: “And it happened, when all our enemies heard of it, and all the nations around us saw these things, that they were very disheartened in their own eyes; for they perceived that this work was done by our God.”
This passage indicated that not only Nehemiah, and those who worked with him, were aware that God was accomplishing His purposes through them, but even their enemies, “perceived that this work was done by our God.”
If our heart is right with God, if we are walking in fellowship with Him, if the vision we are following was given by God – then we will have the perseverance necessary to continue to serve Him no matter what obstacles or hardships we must face.
The next lesson is to face all of these hardships and potential discouragements in the JOY of the Lord, for:
“The joy of the
Lord is your strength.”
Nehemiah 8:10b
He is still working on me in this area!
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