"As happens in the lives of all My dedicated servants when they undertake a great work, opposition quickly arose. Fear set in. The road to life is narrow; it is bumpy and steep. But it was Nehemiah's awareness that he was doing a great work that kept him going." (66LL)Nehemiah experienced opposition in the great work that God had called him to. Sanballat exploded on him and vilified him. Tobiah ridiculed him. Then they gathered with the Arabs, the Ammonites and the Ashdodites and in a fury fought against Jerusalem and created trouble, even threats of attack. When the wall was complete, Nehemiah's enemies "schemed to hurt" and intimidate him. A false prophet tried to convince Nehemiah to hide and seek safety in the Temple. Nehemiah faced the betrayal of his enemies with an incredibly God-focused and purpose-driven response:
Nehemiah prayed, "Oh listen to us, dear God. We're so despised: Boomerang their ridicule on their heads; have their enemies cart them off as war trophies to a land of no return; don't forgive their iniquity, don't wipe away their sin - they've insulted the builders!" (4:4-5)
So [Nehemiah] stationed armed guards at the most vulnerable places of the wall....stood up and spoke to the nobles, officials, and everyone else: "Don't be afraid of them. Put your minds on the Master, great and awesome, and then fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes...our God will fight for us." (4:13-14, 20)
[Nehemiah] prayed, "Give me strength." (6:9)And what was God doing during all this drama? He frustrated the enemies' plans (4:15); He fought for the Jews (4:20); He gave discernment to Nehemiah about the false prophet Shemaiah (6:12); He was the God behind their work (6:16).
If you've been following Jesus for very long, then you have probably experienced some kind of betrayal in the form of abandonment or abuse. For me, betrayal has been one of the most difficult experiences of my life - even harder than the death of my sister or the imprisonment of my brother. It was so personal and I felt so helpless. There were many times when my response was so much less than God-honoring and there were times when I ran to the always-accepting arms of my Savior. Ultimately, experiences of betrayal created a brokenness in me that I know was necessary and that I'm confident God has used and is using in the great work that He has called me to.
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I meant to comment yesterday, but lo and behold, my inability to focus on one task obviously reigned. But a great lead-in:
Reading Nehemiah 4-6 really spoke, not only to Nehemiah's God-driven discernment in an attempted betrayal, but also to his FOCUS! I remembered a speaker talking about Nehemiah 6:3 as her inspiration to how she effectively managed her time as a homeschooling mom and how she discerned with which activities and events she would become involved.
Nevermore have I "understood" this illustration to that very passage as I do now. As a homeschooling mom of four, a military lifestyle - and all the circumstances that encompasses, and a complicated move looming in the next 3-4 weeks, I wonder if I shouldn't have uttered the words, "I'm doing a great work; I can't come down," more. It's been a reality as my phone conversations with long-distance family and friends have dramatically decreased simply due to the attention my home and family take. Time zones and different families' schedules don't help matter either. :) As an extrovert, who is easily re-energized by connecting with sisters in the Lord, the hard truth that my daily life doesn't inclue a meaningful conversation with those I love can hit hard for me. Meditating on Nehemiah's focus for a season does me well. I think it's easy for us to overlook the priceless role of mom that some of us have.
Lord, please give me wisdom and discernment as I contemplate all those external things that compete with the roles of Your servant, wife, and mother that you've given me.
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