What A Man Named Nehemiah Teaches Us About Faith

Every now and then, in the craziness of life, a name, a subject, a chapter, a prayer will flutter across your minds.

We can go on, running busily, living distracted, pressing on towards purpose…or we can stop, question, and ask God what He is speaking to us.

“Nehemiah” was a word like that. For days this book in the Old Testament pushed and pressed on me and yet, I failed to respond.

To read a whole Chapter, not just a tweet, verse, or some short, Christian blog post seemed to take intentionality, and time I didn’t have…

Yet, we can go on living blind, in a material land. Living for the visible, working for temporal gain…

Or we can reach for the unseen, ask God for spiritual wisdom, seek to grow more than our portfolio, or social media audience…placing ourselves in the quiet, like a student, hungry for more of our Teacher’s wisdom.

I first google, “Nehemiah”. Then, let God lead me to one of the various Bibles sitting on my bookshelf.

Nia – Maya. It had significance. And I knew it just couldn’t be a coincidence.

I had remembered, Nehemiah was the one who rebuilt the wall in Jerusalem, but really never realized what single-minded focus God gave him to fulfill His Father’s will.

And yet, we live in a day that it’s easier to be a “wine-taster” just like Nehemiah, sitting in our palaces of ease and comfort…

Than to listen and respond to the burden’s God lays on us.

Nehemiah is much like James in the New Testament; a man who wasn’t content preaching, intellectualizing, or just talking about how to help people…

Nehemiah actually left comfort and convenience, important titles, and a familiar and in-fluent lifestyle.

He let compassion move him, so much so that He did the unthinkable, stepped down in cast, and was willing to get his hands dirty…

Then, he called God’s people to follow his model of servitude.

And aren’t we all tired of preaching, judging, dictations of people who do nothing but sit in the comfort in their houses but have no fruit to show us?

And yet, what if our greatest evangelism was not what we said, but what people witnessed through us?

“Sympathy is no substitute for action.” David Livingstone, a missionary to Africa used to say.

Nehemiah was one of the greatest models for us of obedience.

He asked the King to grant him the right to leave the palace and walk with the common, fixing the wall with His own two hands.

And how many of us let broken walls in our lives just sit, thinking they’ve been broken too long, there is no one to fix him? Thinking, “Why does it matter anyway?”

But to Nehemiah, travesty and injustice plagued Him until He just had to take action.

This thought that the children of God were not being protected moved him so much so that he couldn’t just sit in his wealth and ignore it…

Nehemiah was so compelled with compassion, he not only prayed fervently, but became the one God used to resolve this circumstance.

And yet, how often when we try to build something, the enemy seems to come, angry, trying to derails and discourage us?

Nehemiah left affluence, to simply help people….Not because he had to, but out of the goodness of his heart.

And yet, two men, Sanballat and Tobiah made it extremely difficult for Nehemiah to do God’s will…

First, Sanballat was deeply disturbed that Nehemiah was even helping. Then, Tobias taunted Nehemiah saying, “It can never be done. The wall won’t get built and God’s people won’t be protected.”

These men were furious that Nehemiah was even trying to help. They wanted him to give up, go back to his wealth, and leave the people to fend for themselves.

They created confusion, invented lies to condemn Nehemiah and over and over unrelenting tried to stop the work, Nehemiah felt called by God to accomplish.

But Nehemiah insisted, they will build a wall because “the people have a mind to work.” (Neh 4:6)

“I set people according to their families, with their swords, their spears, and their bows.” (Neh 4:13)

And despite how it looked, Nehemiah held tight insisting, keep building. “Our God will fight for us.” (Neh 4:20)

Have you ever felt like what you are doing is useless? Like your work for the Lord won’t ever be accomplished?

Have you been derailed by the naysayers, disillusioned by others lies, hindered by those angry and frustrated, trying to stop what the Lord wants accomplished?

Nehemiah gives us hope to keep pressing forward, keep working, keep doing what He calls of us even when we’re weak, even when it seems pointless or useless…

Even when every ounce of strength in us tells us to give up.

Nehemiah means, “Yahweh comforts”. Nehemiah’s heart cry was, “Do notnsorrow, for the joy of the Lord is our strength.” (Neh 8:10)

Nehemiah didn’t just talk faith, but left the safety and comfort of the King to walk out what He believed.

He got dirty, stepped into the prophesy that there should be no gaps in the wall, exposing His children to danger.

Nehemiah prayed constantly, night and day, crying out to God…

“These are Your servants and Your people, whom You have redeemed by Your great power, and by Your strong hand.” (Neh 1:10)

Redeemed is “padah” in Hebrew, meaning, “to release, rescue, deliver, liberate, cut loose, server, to free, to ransom”.

And God never forgets His children…even if He has to climb down off His throne, send His son, get low, and die so we know, the wall of His shed blood protects us…

And at the end of the day, even the enemy can’t derail what the God of the Universe is doing.

Our God doesn’t just sit high and dictate us, but stoops down, stands beside us, intercedes, and makes sure we are not alone, as we labor in this life for what is our right as children…

“Ezra blessed the Lord, the Great God. Then all the people answered, ‘Amen, Amen!’ while lifting up their hands. And they bowed their heads and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground.” (Neh 8:6)

And despite what life looks like right now, don’t lose hope.

Scripture tells us, “Every knee WILL bow, every tongue WILL confess.” (Rom 14:10)

It’s not by our own strength, not by our own might, but “by His Spirit” and His power. (Zach 4:6)

And even if the enemy taunts, in the end truth and justice will prevail.

Friends, don’t give up. Let’s keep building what the Lord has given us.

“Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, great and awesome, and fight for your brethren.” ((Neh 4:14)