New Beginnings with Nehemiah series Archives

New Beginnings with Nehemiah: Encouragement

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.

New Beginnings with Nehemiah: Resolve

By Paula Wiseman

Nehemiah was called by God to oversee the rebuilding of the wall in Jerusalem. It was a daunting task, no doubt, but in Nehemiah’s example we see how to navigate our own new beginnings. Last time we saw how the seed was planted. In this post we’ll consider a key element in any new beginning: resolve.

In chapter 2, Nehemiah arrived in Jerusalem and inspected the wall under cover of darkness so as not to draw too much attention. Then he calls all the local leaders together and tells them of his ambitious plan to rebuild the wall.

Then I said to them, “You see the trouble we are in, how Jerusalem lies in ruins with its gates burned. Come, let us build the wall of Jerusalem, that we may no longer suffer derision.” And I told them of the hand of my God that had been upon me for good, and also of the words that the king had spoken to me. And they said, “Let us rise up and build.” So they strengthened their hands for the good work. Nehemiah 2:17-18.

The leadership immediately responded with resolve and commitment to Nehemiah’s new beginning. Why? Because it sounded easy? Hardly. Because it needed to be done? If that was their motivation, it should have already been taken care of. Why did they jump on board? Three reasons stand out.

They understood there was a problem. Jerusalem was vulnerable to attack and would never recover and rebuild as long as its wall lay in ruins. They needed help. They needed something new. Whether it is in our personal lives or in the life of our church, we have to clearly identify the problems that keep us from growing, from moving in the direction God wants us to move.

They understood Nehemiah’s plan would solve the problem. Granted, this solution was pretty obvious. Sometimes in our situations we grab on to plans that may be great by themselves but don’t really solve the issues we need solved. For example, if I’m consistently late for work, buying a new car won’t solve that. Getting a new car is exciting. I may need a car, but it doesn’t address the problem. Things like going to bed earlier and setting my alarm earlier are more likely to help. When it comes to our churches, this can be the most difficult step. We can spend a great deal of time, energy and resources on plans that sound great but don’t actually accomplish anything long term. That’s why the third reason is the critical one.

They understood God was in it. Nehemiah said, “The hand of my God had been upon me for good.” The favor of the king was evidence of that. The fact that Nehemiah was there in the first place was evidence that God was doing something. It’s not recorded, but Nehemiah, no doubt, told them of his prayers and fasting, of his burden for them and for the city. When it was clear God was behind the plan to rebuild the wall, notice there weren’t any complaints or any negativity, just resolve backed by action. We should have that very same resolve when we know God is in our plans.

Next time, we’ll discover another key factor in a successful new beginning – courage.

New Beginnings with Nehemiah:

By Paula Wiseman

If you are familiar with the Old Testament story of Nehemiah, you know he was called on my God to oversee the rebuilding of the wall in Jerusalem. It was a daunting task, no doubt, but in Nehemiah’s example we see how to navigate our own new beginnings. In this post we’ll look at how the seed for that new beginning gets planted and begins to germinate.

In Nehemiah 1:4, he reacts to the news that the city lay defenseless with its wall in ruins. He says. “As soon as I heard these words I sat down and wept and mourned for days, and I continued fasting and praying before the God of heaven.” In this short verse there are at least three things we can imitate or learn from.

He saw the tremendous need. This is the seed. Yes, he wept and he mourned, but it shows the depth of his connection to his homeland, a land that as far as we know, he had not physically visited before.

Often, the next move God has for us begins with a need we see, one that stirs our hearts and our passions. God plants the seed.

He took some time. He didn’t run with the first idea that popped in his head. He let his emotions run their course. He didn’t rush. He didn’t impose a deadline. He let things percolate and left room for God to speak.

God has a timetable and we need to work to adjust ourselves to His schedule. Remember, seeds don’t sprout overnight.

He fasted and prayed. I know we hear it so often that it becomes a cliché, but truly, we should not take on any new endeavors without seeking God first. Based on what happens later in the chapter, we can deduce that Nehemiah was weighing out what he, personally, could do. Perhaps he was confirming the call God was giving him. He may have even been struggling against it, but from what we see of him throughout the book, I don’t think that was the case.

We can’t force a seed to sprout, but God can. If He has planted it in you, He will make it grow.