Then said I unto them, Ye see the distress that we are in, how Jerusalem lieth waste, and the gates thereof are burned with fire: come, and let us build up the wall of Jerusalem, that we be no more a reproach. Then I told them of the hand of my God which was good upon me; as also the king's words that he had spoken unto me. And they said, Let us rise up and build. So they strengthened their hands for this good work. Nehemiah 2:17-18
I liken myself to several Bible personalities: Deborah because of her strengths, her ability to judge appropriately through discernment, her willingness to fight for what is right, her boldness, and her strength to encourage others in the midst of difficult circumstances. Jeremiah, because I weep for the people of God and how we have made a mockery of the cross and the blood that Jesus shed for us; and lastly, Nehemiah because of his concern regarding our carelessness for the things of God, the handling of His Word, the protection of the people of God, as well as our petty concerns for things that are of relatively little importance.
In this book, Nehemiah is saddened by the condition of the city, so much so, that he went to the king because he had desire and a willingness to make an effective change, not only the city, but in the heart of the people. Nehemiah asked permission to rebuild the wall that surrounded Jerusalem and showed the king just cause as to why it was imperative that this be done and was granted the commission of rebuilding. The wall had been built for the purposes of providing protection, as a barrier against its enemy; built to guard a city and a people that had fallen apart. However, due to neglect, the wall had become partially ruined and therefore couldn't serve its initial purpose. Some rebuilding was needed.
Nehemiah addresses the people and tells them, “can you not see the difficult and dangerous situation we are in? Jerusalem is truly in a mess! The gates have been burned and are now dilapidated. We must rebuild the wall so that we can again take pride in our city and we will no longer be a disgrace to ourselves or in the eyes of others. God’s hand is upon me move forward and do good, and the king has given us his authority to do it, so let’s rise up and build.”
Of course, I thought about the comparison to the people of God today and how we have allowed the wall to crumble, become dilapidated because we have not taken responsibility for the things of God. Consequently, the wall of protection (i.e., prayer, fasting, witnessing, etc) has fallen apart and the city has been left exposed to the outside elements and the outside forces have come in to destroy us. We have been given the permission and the authority to evoke change, not only for the protection of the city, but in the lives of the people. We are allowing the city to be destroyed from the inside out because we have let so much go unnoticed and we don't speak, pray, fast, or cast out the real issues that plague us. Yet, we make time to speak to the trivial matters that have nothing to do with salvation.
Where are the Deborah’s, the Jeremiah’s, and the Daniel's of today? Where are the called of God with the kind of standards and strength of character that Nehemiah possessed? Why are we not conducting our lives and making a difference as Nehemiah did? He was willing to be different, willing to step out and stand up against all odds, speak the truth regardless of what others would say. He was more concerned with what he was purposed to do and what God thought as opposed to fearing what man would think. The scripture tells us, the Lord is on my side; I will not fear: what can man do unto me?
If we are not willing to be different, willing to stand up and step out, willing to speak up and go out in the authority we've been given regardless of what others say; if we are unwilling to repair the wall that provides the protection needed, we will be even more vulnerable to the enemy than we are right now. If we continue to take on the attitude that it's not my issue and we are not concerned about God's people, then the enemy will trample through and overtake the city, and the long term effect will be devastating.
We don't have time to tear down... why? because the city is at hand and souls are at stake. It's time for us to rise up and build!
Until the morning, be blessed,
Cynde
I liken myself to several Bible personalities: Deborah because of her strengths, her ability to judge appropriately through discernment, her willingness to fight for what is right, her boldness, and her strength to encourage others in the midst of difficult circumstances. Jeremiah, because I weep for the people of God and how we have made a mockery of the cross and the blood that Jesus shed for us; and lastly, Nehemiah because of his concern regarding our carelessness for the things of God, the handling of His Word, the protection of the people of God, as well as our petty concerns for things that are of relatively little importance.
In this book, Nehemiah is saddened by the condition of the city, so much so, that he went to the king because he had desire and a willingness to make an effective change, not only the city, but in the heart of the people. Nehemiah asked permission to rebuild the wall that surrounded Jerusalem and showed the king just cause as to why it was imperative that this be done and was granted the commission of rebuilding. The wall had been built for the purposes of providing protection, as a barrier against its enemy; built to guard a city and a people that had fallen apart. However, due to neglect, the wall had become partially ruined and therefore couldn't serve its initial purpose. Some rebuilding was needed.
Nehemiah addresses the people and tells them, “can you not see the difficult and dangerous situation we are in? Jerusalem is truly in a mess! The gates have been burned and are now dilapidated. We must rebuild the wall so that we can again take pride in our city and we will no longer be a disgrace to ourselves or in the eyes of others. God’s hand is upon me move forward and do good, and the king has given us his authority to do it, so let’s rise up and build.”
Of course, I thought about the comparison to the people of God today and how we have allowed the wall to crumble, become dilapidated because we have not taken responsibility for the things of God. Consequently, the wall of protection (i.e., prayer, fasting, witnessing, etc) has fallen apart and the city has been left exposed to the outside elements and the outside forces have come in to destroy us. We have been given the permission and the authority to evoke change, not only for the protection of the city, but in the lives of the people. We are allowing the city to be destroyed from the inside out because we have let so much go unnoticed and we don't speak, pray, fast, or cast out the real issues that plague us. Yet, we make time to speak to the trivial matters that have nothing to do with salvation.
Where are the Deborah’s, the Jeremiah’s, and the Daniel's of today? Where are the called of God with the kind of standards and strength of character that Nehemiah possessed? Why are we not conducting our lives and making a difference as Nehemiah did? He was willing to be different, willing to step out and stand up against all odds, speak the truth regardless of what others would say. He was more concerned with what he was purposed to do and what God thought as opposed to fearing what man would think. The scripture tells us, the Lord is on my side; I will not fear: what can man do unto me?
If we are not willing to be different, willing to stand up and step out, willing to speak up and go out in the authority we've been given regardless of what others say; if we are unwilling to repair the wall that provides the protection needed, we will be even more vulnerable to the enemy than we are right now. If we continue to take on the attitude that it's not my issue and we are not concerned about God's people, then the enemy will trample through and overtake the city, and the long term effect will be devastating.
We don't have time to tear down... why? because the city is at hand and souls are at stake. It's time for us to rise up and build!
Until the morning, be blessed,
Cynde
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