Day 3

We Prepared to Rebuild the Walls

from the reading plan


Nehemiah 2:11-20, Isaiah 62:8-12, Ephesians 2:19-22, James 2:14-26


There are often times in the Christian life when we face the tension of obeying God’s Word in our current culture. In His Word, He speaks; the Bible calls us to a life of bold obedience. However, there are times when in pursuing God’s call, we are confronted with conflict. There are times when our obedience to God places us in direct opposition to the world. These times call us to have faith and courage, to remember that God is sovereign over all things. This is the truth that fuels our faith.

In the latter section of Nehemiah 2, the prophet returns to Jerusalem with a burden to rebuild its walls. King Artaxerxes grants Nehemiah’s request, and even through the citizens are willing to work, he quickly finds opposition by some.

While Nehemiah knows the king of the land is behind these efforts, he ultimately attributes the authority behind this task as coming from God. Nehemiah understands that, in light of God’s sovereign providence, the dire situation is not insurmountable. He believed “the God of the heavens is the one who [would] grant [them] success” (v.20).

Therefore, because this is a divinely orchestrated blessing, Nehemiah is rightly convinced that those against the plan to rebuild are ultimately in opposition to the work of God. In light of this, he responds with courageous and prayerful obedience by carefully planning his course of action. And the people agreed saying, “‘Let’s start rebuilding,’ and their hands were strengthened to do this good work” (v.18).

What exactly fueled Nehemiah’s faith? It was the Word of God. It was the authority behind his bold and seemingly insurmountable task of rebuilding the walls. But isn’t it true that when God calls His people to a task, it is God who makes His people prosper? He promises, and we respond. We can either respond in bold faith, trusting in Him, or we can respond in fear, shrinking back at the opposition in front of us.

In many ways, Nehemiah is a heroic figure whose courage and resolve serve as an example to bolster our faith. He shows us what it looks like to live by faith, trusting in God. This same God reveals Himself to us in His Word and in the person of Jesus Christ, and calls us to respond in faith and obedience. And in His sovereignty, He has the power and authority to bring about His good and perfect will.

Written by Matt Capps

Post Comments (7)

7 thoughts on "We Prepared to Rebuild the Walls"

  1. Steve Williams says:

    It’s God who fights my battles and gives me grace to accomplish the tasks He’s called me to. Even though he works through people, I must not look at those people as my source of grace, provision, or power.

  2. Lucas Harriman says:

    I love to picture Nehemiah going out at night to inspect the wall. Before calling his countrymen to the task ahead, he wanted to see just how bad it was, how much work was really going to be involved. However, this inspection did not lead to paralysis on his part, but instead served only to reaffirm him in his mission. This was due to his trust that God was behind it all. I pray that in my own times of reflection and inspection, I can rest firmly in the thought that I am going forward in the Lord’s strength and purpose, not my own.

  3. Jeff says:

    16 The officials did not know where I had gone or what I was doing, because as yet I had said nothing to the Jews or the priests or nobles or officials or any others who would be doing the work.

    The people living in Jerusalem were living in ruins. Their walls and gates were destroyed. They had no protection from the outside world in case of attacks. But they didn’t try to repair the walls themselves. They were waiting for someone else to do it. Nehemiah shows up on the scene, inspired by God, and tells them they are going to rebuild the walls.

    We are so similar still today. Our life is crumbling down around us (walls) and we let anything and everything get to us (gates), but we are just not doing anything about it. Waiting for someone else to help us. Through the blood of Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit we have everything we need to walk in freedom and victory!!! Quit letting the devil manipulate and push you around. Love your life in bold confidence that “the God of Heaven will grant you success.”

  4. Alvan Chow says:

    Awesome

    Cool to see God work in Jerusalem so many thousand years ago

    Now, the walls and whatever Nehemiah built doesn’t even matter

    But what matters was his faith in God

    In the same way, whatever we make and do now will have little effect on the world thousands of years from now

    But if we work by faith in God, that’s what truly matters

  5. Kevin says:

    Day 3: It’s so crazy that we can be doing the work of the Lord, but our own people close to us could be holding us back. What are they going to think if I act like this? Are we still going to be friends? Will she still want to hang out with me? Doing the work of God should be our one priority ridding ourselves of the thoughts of others. We act, they see, God grows. Don’t be afraid! Part of living for Jesus is living different. But we have to live for him first. What does that look like? Reckless abandonment of self desires. Sole praise to our God. Amen.

  6. Drew Bell says:

    Nehemiah is, as the devotional says, a Biblical hero because of his faithful obedience. He truly believes God’s plan for him and then moves to action with confidence as a result.

    “Faith without works is dead”, but works don’t simply make faith worthwhile, they demonstrate that our faith is authentic. Nehemiah could have been grateful that God wanted Jerusalem restored, but instead he was willing to go himself.

    Rather than simply being glad in my faith, I should be like Nehemiah and go in faith.

  7. Josh W says:

    Nehemiah, knowing the opposition his actions would incur, didn’t shrink from his task, but embraced the knowledge that his God called him to his purpose. I constantly doubt myself and my calling… how can a sinner such as me ever lead. Yet God is sovereign and would not have burdened my heart for ministry if it wasn’t his will. He knows me… all of me. He knows my sins and failures and still loves me. A good friend told me “Your sin doesn’t disqualify you any more than your own righteousness qualifies you.”

    God,
    Help me to rest in you. Help me to live in the knowledge that you have called me to this task and will be faithful to me. Help me to trust and obey.

Leave a Reply to Drew Bell Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *