Evening Thought August 26
Do we ever find ourselves in a situation much like Nehemiah? A situation such as just minding our own business, enjoying life and suddenly God sends us on assignment because some walls are down that should be up. The strange thing is that these walls have other people living around them. Why can’t they just put the walls up and leave us alone?
We forget that many people don’t really care and would rather live amongst rubble than give forth effort to correct a mess. Pretty bold statement yet based on Barna (Dec. 1, 2016) only about 40% of eligible Christian voters voted. Just living among the rubble was adequate. After all, it will all shake out, right? Wrong!
How can someone live among the rubble and not be able to see the disgrace it is causing to others and to God? Can we become so accustomed to the dysfunction that maintaining that dysfunction becomes the goal? Do we stare into the abyss for so long that we become the abyss? God says no!
God has a remnant that will drop what they are doing for the cause, His cause. There is a remnant that cannot allow the broken vision to remain broken and the once highly regarded boundaries to stay down. This brokenness is a disgrace to God, just as the broken walls of Jerusalem were a disgrace in Nehemiah’s days. The welfare of the people is at stake, and when none around will rebuild, God will bring in a Nehemiah to get the job done.
The Nehemiahs of today pay a great price, just as the OT Nehemiah did. He was ridiculed, mocked, lied about, and his motivation questioned. People rose up against him for simply taking on the assignment of God. But it was never about Nehemiah. It was for the glory and honor of God and the welfare of the people.
We too must have the attitude of Nehemiah, and when those who should have rebuilt the wall want to jump in and accuse and malign with criticism and negativity, our response should be as was Nehemiah’s, “I am doing too great a work to come down from the wall and respond to you.” (Neh. 6:3)
I heard clearly in prayer tonight, “Steward and guard well the assignment.” I heard a warning of the danger of outside voices being allowed to be heard. These are voices from those who are not a part of the assignment God has given. Many forfeit the assignment given to them because they will not steward well what God has given. So God calls the Nehemiah out to complete the task at hand and restore His vision and His boundaries.
How seriously do we take our assignment? Will accusations, manipulations, and lies take us off the wall or will we say like Nehemiah, “ I am doing a great work, God’s work, and will not stop to deal with you.”
Nehemiah’s greatest assignment was rebuilding the broken walls of Jerusalem. The purpose was never about Nehemiah but God. It was God’s vision! It was God’s restored honor! It was about the welfare of others! God supernaturally anointed Nehemiah with favor for the task at hand. He will do the same for us!
We were given such an assignment 18 months ago and the walls have been restored. We refused to be derailed and God’s favor was upon us. The vision is restored and the boundaries reassigned for the honor of our God and the welfare of those He chooses.
