Posts that reference the book of Nehemiah

Set Your Hands

“Let us rise up and build.” Then they set their hands to this good work. Nehemiah 2:18

Ideas are cheap.
It takes no effort to catalog what needs to be done.
There is no boldness in stating the obvious.
No personal risk is involved.

But to “set your hands” is totally different.

It means committing to work. It is exhausting.
Entering into people’s lives is a messy business.
You get your hands dirty. You get hurt.
Often you’d like to quit.

But when you set your hands is when you are Christ-like.

He didn’t call us to talk about what needs to be done.
Or shake our heads and wring our hands.
He didn’t call us to endless planning.
He called us to work. To set our hands.

He called us to imitate Him.

Bearing Up in Trouble

By Paula Wiseman

“Now therefore, our God, the great, the mighty, and awesome God, who keeps covenant and mercy: Do not let all the trouble seem small before You that has come upon us. Nehemiah 9:32

I have some friends who had struggled for years with infertility issues, then just before Christmas, they announced they were expecting. Not long after they lost the baby. The family of a boy on my son’s football team lost their home and everything in it. Another friend of mine is dealing with her husband’s second cancer diagnosis and her mother’s most recent one. I’m sure you know people in similar situations — good people for whom the roof has seemed to have fallen in.

Or maybe you are one.

Often, when trouble hits, very sincere people will hold our hands, or maybe lay a hand on our shoulders, and say, “God never gives you more than you can bear.” They mean to comfort. They mean to encourage us that we’ll make it through. I deeply respect that.

But they’re wrong.

Our world is broken. Because of the curse of sin there is evil and injustice and heartbreak. And no one is more heartbroken than God Himself. He sent Jesus to erase the reality of sin and its effects on the people He loves and the world He made. We live in the in-between time, a time between the making of the promise, of setting the plan in motion and its final fulfillment. Terrible things still happen. Trouble still comes.

We were never meant to bear hard times alone.

Jesus said in John 15:5 “Without Me you can do nothing.” Yet, we get the idea that we have to hold up, and carry on no matter what happens. Alone. As if to prove ourselves. That’s wrongheaded. In reality, God ONLY allows more than we can bear because He never intended for us to bear it. He meant for trouble to drive us to Him. Jesus means for us to live a life of dependence.

Paul deals with this in 2 Corinthians 12:9 And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Jesus says, “Paul, it’s not about removing you from the situation. I want you to depend on Me through it.” Somehow in our minds, we rearrange, “My grace is sufficient” to “get through it the best way you can.” But that’s not what Jesus means at all.

The Greek word for “made perfect” comes from the same root word Jesus used when He proclaimed from the cross, “It is finished.” It means His strength will accomplish what is necessary. It will carry us through completely.

Great. That sounds great in theory. How does it work in real life? How do we get from carrying these heavy burdens alone to dependence on Christ’s strength?

First of all, we have to be honest. Stop saying, “I can handle this.” Stop saying, “We’ll get through somehow.”

Second, pour it all out before God. All of it. All of the pent-up ugly emotion. The fear. The sadness. The loss. The confusion. The frustration. If you’re a journaler, now’s the time.

Third, ask for help. Get your trusted friends praying. (They will be glad to, trust me.) There are very likely people around you who have gone through struggles like yours. Ask them for their insights, for their wisdom, and for their prayers too.

Fourth, relinquish it. It’s harder than it sounds because it’s not a power of positive thinking kind of thing. This is an admission that you’re at the end of yourself. That’s totally against our nature, but it’s the same kind of surrender that brought us to Christ in the first place.

Finally, allow yourself time. It takes time to go through difficult situations and it takes time to heal. Give yourself that space.

Surrender gives God the opportunity to work in our situation. And in us.

I would never choose trouble, or pain, or suffering, or tragedy. I doubt anyone would. But those are the times my faith strengthens in ways it never would otherwise. Those are the times when intimacy with God moves from the abstract to the experiential. Those are the times when His presence is real, almost tangible. Those are the times when I begin to understand the meaning of redemption.

(I am prepping for a retreat at the end of September. With your kind indulgence, I’ll be delivering some encore posts for a few weeks.)

Revival: In Writing

By Paula Wiseman

Revival is a distinct renewal of our spiritual life. A re-igniting of our faith and our commitment to God and obedience to His Word. During our study, we’ve seen God move in amazing ways through Scripture. Today we’ll finish up with the revival under Nehemiah. In the fall of 445 BC, the people gathered in Jerusalem. Ezra the priest read the Law. They celebrated the Feast of Tabernacles (or Booths). Then the people confessed their sins. Nehemiah 9 is the record of that confession. But then the people recommitted themselves to God and to follow His word. That’s the key mark of all the revivals we’ve studied. However, this time, the people put their promise in writing.

Because of all this we make a firm covenant in writing; on the sealed document are the names of our princes, our Levites, and our priests.
Nehemiah 9:38

The Hebrew word for “make” is karath, which means to cut or to cut off. It hearkens back to the covenant God made with Abraham in Genesis 15. God instructed Abraham to sacrifice several animals and cut them in half. He was then to arrange the animals so there was a path between each of the halves. When men made this kind of covenant, the idea was that if either party broke the terms, they should end up like animal parts they walked between. In Genesis 15, God alone passed between the pieces.

The people in Nehemiah’s day were recalling the time when God chose them as a people for Himself, for His name’s sake. Any righteousness they had was imputed by God and not the result of their own efforts. While the land was a tremendous promise, it was a shadow of the inheritance to come.

Nehemiah 10:28-29 affirms that all the people entered into this covenant taking on both an oath to perform the things they promised and a curse if they failed. They meant business. The end of the chapter, Nehemiah 10:29-39 lists some specific provisions the people committed to.

So how do we apply this in the 21st century?

I don’t necessarily recommend blood oaths with curses. However, this season leading up to Easter is the perfect time to take spiritual inventory. Are we hungry for God and His Word? Are we obedient? Are we living lives distinct from the world? Are we striving for Christlikeness? Has the Holy Spirit pointed out areas where things need to change? Are we going to make those changes or ignore that prompting?

If we are serious about change, about renewal of our faith and our commitment to the One who loved us and gave Himself for us, then we can follow the example of the Jews in Nehemiah. We can write out a formal declaration of both confession and commitment. We can even go so far as having it witnessed and making it public.

Because we are human, revival is a necessity. We are easily distracted. We are self-absorbed. We sin. We face battles. It’s important to repent, throw out our idols, worship with all our might, separate ourselves from ungodly influences, and bring our sacrifices and offerings to God. Sometimes, it even helps to get it in writing.

New Beginnings with Nehemiah: Encouragement

By Paula Wiseman

We’re continuing to learn from Nehemiah about how to manage a new beginning. Remember, Nehemiah was called by God to oversee the rebuilding of the wall in Jerusalem. It was a daunting task, no doubt. Perhaps not unlike our own new beginnings. We saw how the seed was planted, and how important resolve is. Nehemiah faced constant opposition. But he had discernment to determine which battles were not worth fighting. But Nehemiah was a source of great encouragement to the people in Jerusalem.

By chapter 8, great things had been accomplished. The wall was finished! The gates and doors were installed. It was a moment of celebration and worship! However, during the worship when the people heard the Scripture read, they clearly saw that it was their sins – corporately and individually- that resulted in their captivity and the destruction of the city, the Temple and the wall in the first place.

We often do the same thing when we face a new beginning, Instead of celebrating our progress and how far God has brought us, we focus on our failures and setbacks. We tend to dissect and overanalyze every decision we made and every step we took. And once our analysis is finished we tend to focus on what we’ve done to hinder things rather than the hand of God moving

Nehemiah responds with this encouragement.

“This day is sacred to the LORD your God. Do not mourn or weep.” Nehemiah 8:9

God is the God of new beginnings and second chances. Each one is an invitation to join Him as He works out His plan. It is an opportunity to surrender ourselves once more to the job He has for us. See the new beginning as a day set apart to the Lord like Nehemiah did.

But he encourages his people even more.

Nehemiah said, “Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is sacred to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.” Nehemiah 8:10

Celebrate what God has done and is doing. Show grace and kindness to others. Understand that joy energizes you while grief and regret sap you. Now don’t misunderstand. Repentance for sin is the only proper response when we transgress. We should quickly and humbly own our sins, ask for forgiveness and renounce them. But after that, we must understand that fellowship is restored and we don’t have to live with shame or remorse.

Nehemiah is not so naïve as to think the battle with sin is over and it’s smooth sailing from now on. He knows, and he encourages the people to remember that if they find their joy in the Lord, they will have the strength to live a life that pleases God.

It is no different for us. When we try to find a source of joy outside of God and our relationship with Him, things get difficult to endure.

Nehemiah probably knew this verse. – This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 118:24

As we live today and every day, let’s remember that and find strength from the joy that we are His!

New Beginnings with Nehemiah: Discernment

By Paula Wiseman

We’re continuing to learn from Nehemiah about how to manage a new beginning. Remember, Nehemiah was called by God to oversee the rebuilding of the wall in Jerusalem. It was a daunting task, no doubt. Perhaps not unlike our own new beginnings. We saw how the seed was planted, and how important resolve is. Last week we saw how Nehemiah faced opposition. There was constant opposition. Today, we’ll see Nehemiah’s discernment determining how best to fight those battles.

Sanballat, governor of Samaria, and some of his political allies had opposed the Jews’ projects from the beginning. They were relentless in their threats and interference with the wall building. In chapter 6, Sanballat sends out an open letter accusing Nehemiah of fortifying Jerusalem so that he can set himself us as king. He also claimed Nehemiah had gone so far as to arrange for prophets to declare that Nehemiah was the rightful king.

The claims were outrageously baseless and insultingly public, on the order of publishing an op-ed in the New York Times. What should Nehemiah do? How should he react? And what can we learn from Nehemiah when our own fresh starts are met with undeserved drama?

Nehemiah responded simply, quickly, and firmly.
Then I sent to him, saying, “No such things as you say have been done, for you are inventing them out of your own mind” (Nehemiah 6:8). Nehemiah doesn’t go overboard with his response or his denials, but he doesn’t mince words. The accusations are false and Sanballat is the source.

When we take on something new, inevitably some will not jump on board and may even work to undermine our efforts. It may be possible to ignore them for a while, but when they begin to affect others, especially others who look to us for leadership, we have to respond. We can follow Nehemiah’s lead by answering confidently with clarity and using godly discernment to know how and when to proceed.

Nehemiah saw the motives behind the actions.
Nehemiah wisely saw through Sanballat’s actions. For they all wanted to frighten us, thinking, “Their hands will drop from the work, and it will not be done” (Nehemiah 6:9a). He understood the accusations were more than a personal attack on him. There was a larger purpose and that was derailing the work God had given Nehemiah and his crew.

It is hard not to take attacks personally. Very hard. But if they come, discernment helps us take a step back and look at the big picture. What might be the opposition’s larger goal?

Nehemiah prayed for strength.
But now, O God, strengthen my hands (Nehemiah 6:9b). Nehemiah’s prayer is interesting because it is not for vindication or for the punishment of his adversaries. He prayed for strength, strength to endure, strength to stay focused.

For every new beginning God lays before us, He also equips us and ensures we have the necessary resources to do it (John 15:!6). These resources are not only physical, but emotional, mental, and spiritual. But let’s be honest, we don’t always ask for them. Let’s be like Nehemiah and discern when we need help and humbly ask for it.

New Beginnings With Nehemiah: Facing Opposition

By Paula Wiseman

We’re continuing to learn from Nehemiah about how to manage a new beginning. Remember, Nehemiah was called by God to oversee the rebuilding of the wall in Jerusalem. It was a daunting task, no doubt. Perhaps not unlike our own new beginnings. We saw how the seed was planted, and how important resolve to take on the task is. Today we’re going to see what Nehemiah did when facing opposition to this new beginning.

The enemies of the Jews interfered with the wall-building project from the beginning, from mocking insults and trying to undermine the project, to threatening anyone who worked on the wall, and escalating to the physical attacks on the people. The opposition was not going to let up. What could they do? In Nehemiah 4:14, we read, And I looked and arose and said to the nobles and to the officials and to the rest of the people, “Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes.”

1. Do not be afraid of them. Nehemiah is not instructing the people to ignore reality and needlessly endanger themselves when facing opposition. Their enemies had them outnumbered and had greater resources. But here’s the thing–Fear paralyzes us. We cannot, will not take necessary action if we are afraid. Nehemiah knew they could not allow fear to cause them to lock up and quit.

We are no different. Fear of failure. Fear of making someone mad. Fear of ridicule. Sometimes, even fear of success can keep us awake at night, consume our thoughts and sap our energy. If Nehemiah had stopped here, we would be rightly frustrated with him. Anybody can say “Don’t be afraid,” and walk away. Nehemiah tells us what to do instead.

2. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome. When we discussed having resolve, we saw that knowing God was in a thing made it a lot easier to commit to. Here, Nehemiah is reminding his people that the God they serve, the God who commissioned them to this task is great and He is awesome. That had not changed. God never promised the project would go forward without any bumps, but the difficulties were an opportunity to depend on God, to let Him work.

If we lose sight of the fact that God is with us, we too, will give up. If we forget who God is, we will tend to see things in human terms only. God knew the opposition would come when He called us. He isn’t surprised at all.

3. Fight. The fear and the pep talk must give way to action. Nehemiah reminds them that others depend on their action. The stakes are high but they are worth it!

When God gives us a new beginning to undertake, it is in line with His long-term kingdom-advancing plan. We cannot afford to be inactive or even hesitant. The stakes are eternal. Pour yourself into the work.

Nehemiah was confident he was following God even when he faced tremendous, exhausting opposition. But at the end of the day he could pray, “Remember me favorably, my God, for all that I have done for this people.” Nehemiah 5:19. It wasn’t a boast, but a humble request for God’s blessing on doing what God had given Him to do. May we be able to pray the same kind of prayer, knowing we have done what God gave us to do as best we could.