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Article: Nehemiah's Wall

In the Bible, Nehemiah saw his beloved Jerusalem in ruins, both structurally, with is dilapidated walls and gates, but also spiritually, with the very fabric of its society having been torn to shreds by those who opposed his God. His heart was breaking for these people and just had to do something about it.

So, what did he do?


Simply this; he put into action what was on his heart, until the task had been achieved. He was a man on a mission, a visionary, called to unite Gods people, through obedience, prayer, hard work and perseverance.


But is any of this relevant to us, today? Of course it is !!!


This is not the definitive study on working for God, and yes, there are other ways of doing things. But if we follow a little in Nehemiah’s footsteps and look at his plan to rebuild the walls, you’ll find almost ‘a blueprint for mission’, a rough guide of how to direct our efforts in faith, using Scripture as a foundation to build upon. And that is as good a starting point as you’ll ever find.



PASSION

Firstly, comes the passion, perhaps for a group of individuals, or set of circumstances that stirs your heart in a way you least expect. Maybe you perceive a special need in your life that has never been there before, like a desire to help the poor or work directly within the church.
Whatever it is, it beckons you; it calls for your attention; and you become aware, even to the point of tears, that you just have to follow whatever ‘it’ is (Nehemiah 1:2-4).

PRAYER & FASTING

That awareness must then be captured in your spirit. It must be fixed in your mind and focused, through prayer and fasting, until it gains clarity. Then you will see not only the vision as it is now, but also what it could become. (Nehemiah 1: 4-11)
*Note that the discipline of prayer is constant more than any other during Nehemiah’s mission. From start to finish, this devotion brought forth God’s mercy, forgiveness and guidance abundantly.

ACCOUNTABILITY

Before he physically began rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem, and drawing Gods people in to unity as a result of their labours, Nehemiah went to see the King and poured out his heart to him. He wanted more than just a bit of time off work to do a job on the side, he wanted the Kings blessing for his mission; in other words there was accountability before his leadership (Nehemiah 2:1-6).

PREPARATION

As with any project, whatever the scale, preparation is vitally important, both in ‘what needs doing’ and, ‘what resources are needed.’ (Please note, there is a difference between these two factors, it is subtle, but important.)


For Nehemiah, things were made a little easier by the King blessing him with timber to rebuild the gates (Nehemiah 2:8); but he also had to assess the condition of the rest of the wall before work could begin. So the acquisition of materials and the need for the right workforce were almost certainly high on Nehemiah’s prayer list.

FAITH

So, faith is very much a key factor in any mission, as sometimes you may not know what you are going to need until the situation arises.
Then you have to trust God to provide; circumstances may change, people react in unexpected ways, and sometimes, you may get it wrong and have to backtrack or re-plan things because of simple human failings.


But ultimately, God is in control of any genuine mission for Him, so don’t dwell on mistakes, say sorry to God, be obedient to his correction and get on with the job.

UNITY

Even Nehemiah, as great a man as he was, could not have rebuilt the walls on his own; others had to be involved. And for this to happen, he had to pull like minded people together and work with them; in a word, unity, something frequently lacking in modern society and sadly, many churches.

SPIRITIUAL DEFENCE

Without mincing words, mission work is not for our benefit but God’s; so expect resistance, spiritual warfare is real. As Nehemiah encountered, there were those who hated what he was doing because he did not worship them, or their ideals; but instead he chose to follow God.

You are going to run into opposition for what you believe in, but do as Nehemiah did, post prayer warriors at every vantage point, people whose job it to maintain a line of spiritual defence for your mission.

We have all got differing gifts that can be used to edify and glorify God’s church; and designated prayer intercessors are vital in the communication between Him and us. (Nehemiah 4 & 5)

HARD WORK

As mentioned earlier, sheer hard work gets things done, and is usually something that cannot be avoided whatever is going on. But don’t get so busy that you forget what you’re meant to be doing.

The people of Jerusalem each had their part to play in the rebuilding of the wall, and once they had done their bit, they may well have got on with daily routines or returned to their regular profession.

Don’t be afraid to step back occasionally and say ‘God, what next?’ Overload produces burnout.

THANKFULNESS

Throughout the Bible, God says ‘be thankful in all things’ and Nehemiah’s Wall or your chosen mission field is no exception. Be thankful in all things, and that suggest the bad times as well as the good.

GENEROSITY

It may be a good point to note, as God’s people celebrated the completion of the wall, they shared the party with those who had nothing (Nehemiah 8:10).
So generosity in your victories will always be pleasing to God as it’s a way of tithing, something we are asked to do as an act of obedience many times in the Bible.

PERSEVERANCE

And finally, simply finishing the wall did not complete Nehemiah’s mission, there was the rebuilding of the people still to come. Once again, he identified what stirred his heart, prayed and, led by the Spirit of God, rolled up his sleeves and got on with it again and again.

Perseverance was the order of the day; and like Nehemiah, your mission may last for quite a while, maybe a lifetime.