What do you understand from the word perseverance??
Perseverance is doing something in spite of facing difficulties or troubles or delay!
Another word for perseverance might be Determination!
* What are some of the thing's that we persevere in??
Exam's, Studies, Sports, Carrier, Spirituality, Prayer, etc.
* Can you give a few examples of people who have persevered in their life??
Walt Disney - Was told he lacked Imagination
Edison - Failure's @ Research
Einstein - School Drop out, etc
Here we will see about a man from the Bible, where he faces Difficulties & how he perseveres through it!!
This is the life of Nehemiah!!
Nehemiah's Background:
Was cupbearer to the King Artaxerxes of Persia, the neighboring country of Jerusalem!
* Did you know that most Cities or Countries had a protective wall around them, just like Jericho!
So the wall's of Jerusalem were broken and destroyed by the neighboring countries, so Nehemiah hears the news about what had happened to his home town!
# How do we react when we face through problems??
Nehemiah wept, he mourned, he fasted and prayed!
The first thing Nehemiah did was Pray!
We always turn to God when we are in trouble, but there's something different that Nehemiah did!!
Let's turn to Nehemiah 1:6(b)
I confess the sins we Israelites, including myself and my father’s family, have committed against you.
He just did not pray but also confessed the Sin's he did!
* How many times do we confess our sins!!
He wanted to go to Jerusalem and help rebuild the wall!
In order to do that he need's the permission of the King!
Nehemiah prayed for everything, prayed for forgiveness of the sins they had committed, then prays to God to change the heart of the King, so that he would go to help them out!!
And his prayers were answered!
Nehemiah 2:6(b)
It pleased the king to send me; so I set a time.
1. Nehemiah always Prayed, prayed Confessing his SIN'S.
Second thing that Nehemiah did was plan what he needed to do!
So Nehemiah asks the King
Nehemiah 2:7-9
7 I also said to him, “If it pleases the king, may I have letters to the governors of Trans-Euphrates, so that they will provide me safe-conduct until I arrive in Judah? 8 And may I have a letter to Asaph, keeper of the royal park, so he will give me timber to make beams for the gates of the citadel by the temple and for the city wall and for the residence I will occupy?” And because the gracious hand of my God was on me, the king granted my requests. 9 So I went to the governors of Trans-Euphrates and gave them the king’s letters. The king had also sent army officers and cavalry with me.
He got letter's for Safe Travel to his Country, then he asked letter's for Wood Supply ie Raw Material for Building the Wall, & also Army Officer's & Cavalry.
He knew what to do, because he planned what needed to be done, not only had a dream to build the wall back, but also made plans to build the wall.
Insight on the wall:
The wall of Jerusalem, that was Broken & Burned, did you know the size of it, or how magnificent it was!
The wall had a circumference of 4018 meter's, 12 meter's in height, 2.5 meter's in thickness, with 8 Gates and 34 watchtower's!
Nehemiah had actually planned with all of this in Mind!
Have a practical point of view!
2. We need to have a practical plan, not just Stop @ Dreaming
The next thing Nehemiah did was talk to the people!
Let's read Nehemiah 2:17-18
17 Then I said to them, “You see the trouble we are in: Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned with fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and we will no longer be in disgrace.” 18 I also told them about the gracious hand of my God on me and what the king had said to me.
They replied, “Lets start rebuilding.” So they began this good work.
Them refers to the Priests of Jerusalem, the Noble's, the Official's & all the people of Israel to help him rebuild the wall.
Third thing that Nehemiah did was ASK HELP:
Many of the times we are too proudful to ask for help, among our Brother's / Sister's.
Asking for help we accept that we are week, we are humans who fall into Sin all the Time.
If we do ask for help, we are only making the situation worser, rather than solving the problem.
When we ask help to fight, our evil desires and temptation, it only the battle easier.
3. Ask for Help, without Hesitation
Did the problem solve!.
Nope!!
The enemies who attacked were waiting to attack and destroy the city of Jerusalem once again.
Let's read Nehemiah 4:8
8 They all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and stir up trouble against it.
What did Nehemiah do @ that time??
Let's turn to Nehemiah 4:16-18
16 From that day on, half of my men did the work, while the other half were equipped with spears, shields, bows and armor. The officers posted themselves behind all the people of Judah 17 who were building the wall. Those who carried materials did their work with one hand and held a weapon in the other, 18 and each of the builders wore his sword at his side as he worked. But the man who sounded the trumpet stayed with me.
The people were prepared all the time for war, with a sword or spear, in one hand & with the other hand they build the wall.
Most of the time's we forget that we are just humans who fall down.
We think we can do anything, or we become very proudful, saying we can handle things on our own!
Most of the time, when we turn away from a particular habit or Sin, we are overwhelmed with joy or sometimes pride saying we will never go back to that old self, but we tend to forget that we might end up going back to that life.
1 Peter 5:8
Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.
4. We need to be on our Guard all the Time
* Do you know how long it took for Nehemiah to finish the wall of Jerusalem??
So a few of the things that we can do Preserve in our Lives:
1. Pray & Confession
2. Plan Practically
3. Ask for Help
4. Be on your Guard
I though that it would easliy take up to 2 year's to finish the wall of Jerusalem, the wall had to meet the specifications, of circumference of 4018 meter's, 12 meter's in height, 2.5 meter's in thickness, with 8 Gates and 34 watchtower's, given the technology & the amount of people who worked on it.
But wall was completed in
Nehemiah 6:15
So the wall was completed on the twenty-fifth of Elul, in fifty-two days.
FIFTY-TWO DAY'S
With God by your side, nothing is impossible!
The problem we face are small in front of God, but we still need to Persevere in our problem's, not giving up.
To God be the Glory!
Amen!
