Nehemiah Day Four: Persevere

If you are new with us- welcome! We are reading Nehemiah, and following his journey in restoration! Today we read on in chapter 3 to see the Israelites come together, laboring side by side. Each is assigned uniquely, and completes their task properly. Everyone's work was vital; the wall as a whole could not hold together without each individual doing their part. Every part matters, dear one.

As progress is made in chapter 4, enemies oppose all the more. Hear the absolute rage that restoration brings the enemy!!!"What are those feeble Jews doing? Will they restore their wall? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they finish in a day? Can they bring the stones back to life from those heaps of rubble-burned as they are?" - Nehemiah 4:2

They were going through with it! The enemies' best weapon was trying to infuse their vulnerability and weakness with doubt. But opposition is faced the same way Nehemiah has patterned his behavior: prayer.

"Hear us, our God, for we are despised. Turn their insults back on their own heads. Give them over as plunder in a land of captivity. Do not cover up their guilt or blot out their sins from your sight, for they have thrown insults in the face of the builders." - 4:4-5

And strength to continue their work comes from their refocusing through communion with God. "So we rebuilt the wall till all of it reached half its height, for the people worked with all their heart." -4:6

Being a part of God's purposes calls everything from us- all our hearts. We must be sold out and committed. Nehemiah directly says, "the work is extensive and spread out" (v19). It was hard people! And there is no doubt our buddies had never faced a task this large... but "GAPS WERE BEING CLOSED" (v7). Change was happening! GOD will bring results...WE have to bring all of ourselves for Him to work with.

A half hearted wall would not have cut it. You see, a spot without glue (because builders use elmers, right?) could have made the whole wall crumble! Just so, half of our heart is not a pleasing sacrifice to God. He wants all of us, so we can share in ALL of Him! The reward on investment is amazing <3!

The best part is The Lord is the active ingredient at work within us for His purposes (Philippians 2:13)!!!  While this remains true, that vital ingredient produces activity in us! He invites into what He is doing. In this case, The Lord invited the Israelites to trust Him in restoration, doing their part, with all their hearts.

They simply had to keep their eyes on the prize.

"Finishing is better than starting. Patience is better than pride."- Ecclesiastes 7:8

Today may we ask the Lord for patience to complete whatever He has set before us. May we offer all our hearts to the purposes of the Lord, and follow through with humility and perseverance.

Build on builder, the Lord is with you.

Nehemiah Day Four: Persevere