Most of us if not all are facing the new year with fear. We hear a lot nowadays that we would really feel the crunch of the global financial crisis as we enter the new year. We monitor the news and watch the stock exchange reports flatline. It looked like the heart monitor reading of a person who is about to die. It’s getting weaker and weaker and we are just waiting for the heart to fail. I would admit and, I believe given the chance, you would also admit that when we think of the future we are really just thinking how we could cope with the crisis. We feel that’s the only way—cope with the crisis. But, when we turn to God’s Word, we see that there is a better way than just coping with it. This morning we will look at how we can conquer the crisis. CONQUER, not just cope. Turn with me to Nehemiah chapter 4. In our passage we will look into how Nehemiah conquered a crisis. God laid a burden in his heart to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. In response to his prayer, God granted him favor with the king. God granted him favor also with the people who joined the work of rebuilding. However, not all were in favor of the work. Even before they started, their enemies were very much against it. They were even very vocal about it. This sets the stage for our passage. We will see that the best way to conquer the crisis is to cling to GOD TOGETHER.
In our passage, the opposition was intensifying. At first their enemies were just mocking the Jews. Their leader Sanballat spoke so loud. He pretended to talk to his allies. But he actually made sure that the Jews heard every word of it. We read his mockery in verse 2: “What is this feeble bunch of Jews trying to do? Are they going to rebuild the wall and offer sacrifices all in one day? Do they think they can make something out of this pile of scorched stones?”[1] Then, his sidekick offered his own expert opinion. “Look at the wall they are building! Why, even a fox could knock over this pile of stones.”[2] In times of crisis, we can be sure that there will be people who would comment; but they will not commit. They will just say anything but do nothing to solve the problem. They will point an accusing finger but will not lift a finger to help at all. All Nehemiah could do at that time was to pray. He held on to God. And they continued building. Verse 6 tells us, “So we rebuilt the wall till all of it reached half its height, for the people worked with all their heart.” They were so determined to finish the project. Nehemiah prayed and they worked together. Yes, the best way to conquer the crisis is to cling to God and to each other.
When their enemies noticed that their mockery was not working, they turned up the heat. The opposition intensified. They now made plans to attack. This time Nehemiah rallied the people together. Verse 9 tells us, “But we prayed to our God and posted a guard day and night to meet this threat.” Now, the people were getting tired. Let’s read verse 10. “Meanwhile, the people in Judah said, ‘The strength of the laborers is giving out, and there is so much rubble that we cannot rebuild the wall.’” They were worn out and weary. They looked at what they are doing and instead of seeing what they have achieved so far, that they were halfway through the project, they thought, “Will we ever finish this wall?” In verse 6, we read that “the people worked with all their heart.” Now in verse 10 we read that “The strength of the laborers is giving out”. What a way to fall!
Then, the Jews found that the words of their enemies were making its way into their hearts: “Also our enemies said, ‘Before they know it or see us, we will be right there among them and will kill them and put an end to the work.’” [3] They now feared their own shadows. To top it off, we read in verse 12 that “the Jews who lived near them came and told us ten times over, ‘Wherever you turn, they will attack us.’” They became the messenger of their own enemies. They were parroting what their enemies were saying. And they kept repeating the threats. No wonder they got so discouraged! Those who are saying those words like a broken record were those who lived near their enemies. These people were not even trying to cope. They were definitely not conquering the crisis. The crisis was conquering them. They were so down and out. Thus, we can see that in the midst of crisis, it really matters who we listen to. It really matters who we walk with in these trying times. I am not saying we deny the crisis. What I am saying is that we deal with it. And the best way to conquer and not just cope with the crisis is to cling to God and to each other.
Look at the strategy of Nehemiah: “Therefore I stationed some of the people behind the lowest points of the wall at the exposed places, posting them by families, with their swords, spears and bows. After I looked things over, I stood up and said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people, ‘Don’t be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes.’”[4] Listen to what he declared. “Remember the Lord. Fight for your families. Fight as a family.” Yes, cling to God. Cling to each other. Let us conquer this crisis together!
Also, Nehemiah established their communication network. “Then I said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people, ‘The work is extensive and spread out, and we are widely separated from each other along the wall. Wherever you hear the sound of the trumpet, join us there. Our God will fight for us!’”[5] He had set up a support system. We can learn from this. We crumble under a crisis when we cope with it alone. The problem begins when we try to cope with it alone because we are ashamed to ask for help. We are ashamed to tell others our businesses are struggling. We go to church every Sunday and we put up a brave front. We make it appear that everything is okay. Yet, deep within us, we are desperate. But our pride is keeping us from even sharing a prayer request. So, you pray to God on your own. But you don’t have to go on your own. We can cling to God together. The Bible tells us, “Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”[6] Let us hold on to God and let us hold on to each other.
So, how do we conquer the crisis? How do we cling on to God and to each other? I encourage you to ask at least two people whom you trust to form a small group with you. It would be better if you and your spouse talk to another couple and form that group with them. You can agree to meet at least once a month and pray with them. Now, some of us may be too shy to open up our problems. Let me tell you, you don’t have to share at all, at first. You may opt to open up only to the level that you feel you can trust the group. What is important is that we cling to God together. If you are married, you can join our couples’ fellowship, where we divide into groups for discussion of the lesson and for prayer for each other. If you are single, group yourselves according to gender—men with men, women with women. You don’t have to pray long. You don’t always have to be together to pray. You can text or call each other and share your prayer requests, then make sure you pray for one another. That’s how we cling to God together.
I have a close friend. He is a businessman. He is not from our church. We would meet over breakfast and pray for his business. When he is about to make a major decision, we meet to pray. When he is about to fire someone for example, we pray that the transition would be smooth. We discuss his business plans. Now, I don’t know all the answers. I don’t have to. I just have to be there for him, to pray with him. Along the way, we became very close friends. And his business now is not just surviving but also thriving.
When Nehemiah rallied the people together to cling to God, verse 15 tells us, “When our enemies heard that we were aware of their plot and that God had frustrated it, we all returned to the wall, each to his own work.” They conquered the crisis together. In the face of the global financial crisis, God with our families and our church can be our source of strength. I am not promising that the crisis will be soon over. I am not saying that we will be able to solve it. But together we will conquer and not just cope with the crisis. Let us cling to God together. Let us pray…
[1]Contemporary English Version (CEV). All Bible verses are from the New International Version, unless otherwise noted.
[2]CEV.
[3]Nehemiah 4:11.
[4]4:13-14.
[5]4:19-20.
[6]Hebrews 10:23-25.
