REBUILDING THE WALLS

Have you ever wondered what your purpose is in life? Have you ever asked God why you are where you are right now?

First John 3:20 tells us that our God is omniscient. He knows exactly what He is doing. He knows the very reason why we are where we are right now. There is a divine purpose for the family we are raised in, the neighborhood we live in, the job and office we work in, the country we are based in, and even the generation we are born in. Nothing is ever an accident with Him. He has ordained everything for a purpose.

The testimony of minister Ken Gaub tells us of how God used him to minister to a woman he talked with in a phone booth in Dayton, Ohio.

He was just passing by a road when a phone in a nearby phone booth kept ringing which he felt so compelled to answer. When he picked it up, the operator on the line said it was a long-distance call for Ken Gaub which is exactly who he is.

The woman on the line confessed that she was on the verge of committing suicide and was led to contact Ken Gaub as she knew him to be a minister. She did not know how to contact him but for some unknown reason, some numbers came to her which she then tried calling. That is how she reached the phone booth in Ohio exactly at the moment that Ken Gaub was passing by.

Because of that, Ken Gaub was able to minister and share the gospel with her and she was spared from committing suicide.

A lot of times we imagine that our lives are full of random activities but we must realize that there is a God to whom nothing is random. Everything is perfectly orchestrated by Him.

In the Bible, there was an Israelite called Nehemiah who was a cupbearer to a Persian king. He was living in enemy territory, away from his home country Israel, forced to serve the very people responsible for his captivity. But in an amazing turn of events, God was able to send Nehemiah home to rebuild the torn-down walls of Jerusalem.

Living away from Israel, Nehemiah must not have foreseen that he could ever be used by God to restore his people. The same goes with us. There are times when we may feel like we are insignificant in our workplaces or in the country that we live in.

But just like Nehemiah, God can also use us to fulfill His divine plans according to His will.

And until that time comes when God calls us, we can prepare well by learning some precious truths from the Book of Nehemiah.

Nehemiah – The Intercessor

In the first chapter of the Book of Nehemiah, we can read that he inquired of the situation of his people. He was in agony when he found out the plight of the Jews. But instead of attempting to solve the problem on his own, he spent many days fasting and praying before God. He even included himself among those who needed God’s forgiveness and mercy (Nehemiah 1:6).

To be an intercessor, it is very essential for us to have knowledge and understanding of what is going on with the people, nations, and churches we are praying for. We cannot disassociate ourselves from them. Instead, we need to put ourselves in the position of those we are interceding for. Like Nehemiah, we also need to be persistent in praying. We do not stop praying until we hear from the Lord.

The burden for his people was very evident in him that the king finally asked him of his problem (Nehemiah 2:1-3). He gave concrete and specific requests to the king. In intercession, there is a need for the burden to truly penetrate our own hearts. We also need to be specific in our prayers, in accordance to what we hear from God.

Nehemiah – The Leader

In chapter 2, we see Nehemiah as a leader. He went to Jerusalem to see the matter to himself. He went around the city at night to view its broken walls and gates that were burned with fire.

He gathered the leaders and shared with them the vision of rebuilding the walls. He also gave assurance to the people that God’s favor was upon them. When the leaders heard this, they agreed and set their hands to rebuild the walls.

The People

The cities in the early times were defined and bound by walls. They serve not only to define their borders but also to protect their city from the enemies. But because of the disobedience of Israel for so long under the kings of Israel and Judah, their city walls were broken down.

In the spiritual, we also have our walls of protection. But the moment we commit sin and disobey God, our walls of protection break down.

The Jews were being under great distress and reproach when their city walls were broken down as seen in Nehemiah 2:17. They have been staying in the city for 81 years and yet the walls of the city were still in rubbles. They have been accustomed to the miserable state of their land. They did not do anything to repair the walls not until Nehemiah came.

Sometimes we also get so accustomed to broken down walls that we do nothing about it. 

We can get so used to having bad habits or wrong attitudes that we don’t bother to change them anymore.

However, we do not want to make ourselves vulnerable to the enemy so we need to make sure that our walls are complete for it to live out its purpose of protecting us. Truly, a wall is only as strong as its weakest part. May we not be content with having broken down walls in our lives.

The Work

Nehemiah 2:18 tells us that the people agreed to Nehemiah’s plan to rebuild their city walls. Not only did they say yes to it, but they also wasted no time to act on it.

Are we willing to say yes to God when He is on the move? Are we also willing to set our heart and hands to what the Lord is telling us?

We can read in Nehemiah 4:10 that the strength of the laborers was failing. They felt discouraged because of the amount of work they needed to do to rebuild the walls. They also felt discouraged by the insults they received from their enemies, Sanballat and Tobiah.

Nehemiah reminded the people not to be afraid of their enemies. He reminded them of their great and awesome God who was with them (Nehemiah 4:14).

We will also encounter discouragement and opposition when we set our heart to the work God has called us to do. But we must be vigilant not to allow discouragement to enter in our lives.

We must always remind ourselves that God is on our side and His hand is upon us.

Yes, it takes hard work and courage to fulfill the work and the call of God in our lives. But even though our strength may fail in the process, our God is able to renew our strength.

May our confidence be in God, that He is able to accomplish that good work that He has intended for us (Philippians 1:6).