Overcoming Opposition By Prayer (Nehemiah 1:4-11)
Illustration: There is one who speaks like the piercings of a sword, but the tongue of the wise promotes health. --Proverbs 12:18
Critics talk much and do little that is constructive. They are more interested in trying to make themselves look good by making others look bad.
If Nehemiah had listened to his critics, the wall around the city of Jerusalem would never have been rebuilt. Some of what those critics said to him was accurate. The wall was rubble and fire had burned the stones and caused them to crack and crumble (4:2-3). But the critics talked much and did absolutely nothing to help.
Years ago, Theodore Roosevelt noted, "It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred with dust and sweat and blood; . . . and who, . . . if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat."
Where do you see yourself in this picture? Are you being pelted by unfair criticism as you are serving Christ? If so, keep on going and God will reward your efforts. Or do you recognize yourself as one who tends to be critical of others? If so, it’s time to quit the demolition team and join the construction crew. --HWR
I would not criticize the one who works,
The one who listens to God’s Word and heeds;
But I would criticize myself, dear Lord,
Confess to you my faithless words and deeds. --Hess
Any spectator can criticize the players; it takes skill and dedication to play the game. (Our Daily Bread)
1. The Holy Spirit can lead you as He led Nehemiah to weep, pray and fast for the needs of your people. Nehemiah prayed, "Those who survived the exile are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down and its gates have been burned with fire. When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some day I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven." (Neh. 1:3,4) Ask the Lord to help you to weep, pray and fast for your people allowing the Spirit to do His work first in you and in the hearts of your people before anything else happens.
2. The Holy Spirit can lead you as He led Nehemiah to praise God amidst great difficulties. Nehemiah prayed, "O Lord, God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and obey his commands." (Neh. 1:5) Ask the Lord to give you the heart to praise God regardless of whatever problems, pressures or people are on your mind.
Illustration: So we built the wall . . . , for the people had a mind to work. --Nehemiah 4:6
Some people, like the comic-strip character Beetle Bailey, work hard to avoid working. In real life, we know that work "makes the world go round." God placed Adam in the Garden of Eden "to tend and keep it" (Gen. 2:15), which shows us that work is essential to our well-being.
God wants us to work, and He wants us to put our hearts into what we do. That’s easy for some people, like former Detroit Tiger baseball player Alan Trammell. He once said it was easy for him to be enthusiastic about his work because he was paid for doing what he would enjoy doing for nothing.
But how can a person put his heart into a job that is drearily monotonous, or so stressful that it brings on high blood pressure or ulcers? The apostle Paul gave these answers to followers of Christ: "Work with your own hands, . . . that you may lack nothing" (1 Th. 4:11-12). To another church he wrote, "Whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men" (Col. 3:23).
If you think of your job as a blessing by which you can provide for yourself and others, and that your diligence is honoring to the Lord, you too will have "a mind to work" (Neh. 4:6). --HVL
Whatever you are working on,
Engage in it with zest,
Because your work is for the Lord
And He expects your best. --Sper
Work becomes worship when you work for the Lord. (Our Daily Bread)
3. The Holy Spirit can lead you as He led Nehemiah to confess personal, group and national sins to the Lord seeking His forgiveness and restoration. Nehemiah prayed, "I confess the sins we Israelities, including myself and my father’s house, have committed against you. We have acted very wickedly toward you. We have not obeyed the commands, decrees and laws you gave your servant Moses." (Neh. 1:6,7) Be willing to confess and forsake all personal, group and national sins before you attempt to lead your people
4. The Holy Spirit can lead you as He led Nehemiah to point people to Biblical imperatives that give them clear direction for where they need to focus their attentions. Nehemiah prayed, "Remember the instruction you gave your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations, but if you return to me and obey my commands, then even if your exiled people are at the farthest horizon, I will gather them from there and bring them to a place I have chosen as a dwelling for my Name." (Neh. 1:8,9) Ask the Lord to help you to direct your peoples’ attention to the essential Biblical imperatives that are necessary to obey before God can bless them individually and corporately.
5. The Holy Spirit can lead you as He led Nehemiah to remind God and your people of the Lord’s great promises, perspectives and plans. Nehemiah prayed, "They are your servants and your people, whom you redeemed by your great strength and your mighty hand. O Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of this your servant and to the prayer of your servants who delight in revering your name. Give your servant success today by granting him favor in the presence of the king." (Neh. 1:10,11) Ask the Lord to help you humbly remind God and your people of Biblical promises, perspectives and plans for their best interests.
6. The Holy Spirit can lead you as He led Nehemiah to analyze and administrate a ministry for the building of God’s kingdom and righteousness. The Lord gave Nehemiah the ability to access the needs, organize his people and administrate the building of the wall that restore security to the people of Israel. Ask the Lord to give you the analytical and administrative abilities to see that your ministries are effectively contributing to the qualitative and quantitative growth of God’s kingdom and righteousness in your communities.
7. The Holy Spirit can lead you as He led Nehemiah to recruit, train, motivate and mobilize the people to work together for the accomplishment of God’s tasks. The Lord led Nehemiah with the wisdom, inspiration and supervisory skill to see a diverse group of people brought together by their common goal of seeing the wall of Jerusalem reconstructed for God’s glory and the peoples’ welfare.
8. The Holy Spirit can lead you as He led Nehemiah to harmonize a wide variety of personalities and perspectives together to synergistically accomplish God’s great purpose. The Lord led Nehemiah to be able to withstand all kinds of criticisms, complaints and misunderstanding between people of different backgrounds. Ask the Lord to help you harmonize the diversity of personalities and perspectives in your group for the synergistic accomplishment of God’s purposes.
9. The Holy Spirit can lead you as He led Nehemiah to delegate and deputize key people who can help share the leadership burdens with you. The Lord led Nehemiah to appoint wise elders who were able to bring out the best in their people by involving everyone in a common task, despite natural objections.
10. The Holy Spirit can lead you as He led Nehemiah to fight the good fight of faith against spiritual, psychological and emotional obstacles. When Tobiah and Sanballat tried to mock Nehemiah’s efforts, he refused to give into discouragement, distress or defeat. Ask the Lord for the courage to press on regardless of the spiritual, psychological or emotional obstacles you are facing.
11. The Holy Spirit can lead you as He led Nehemiah to overcome all problems since He knows that God’s power is greater than any that oppose Him. Nehemiah prayed, "Remember me for this, O my God, and do not blot out what I have so faithfully done for the house of my God and its services." (Neh. 13:14) Ask the Lord to preserve, protect and promote whatever you have accomplished for His ministries by His power.
Conclusion: O Lord, I pray, please let Your ear be attentive to the prayer of Your servant. --Nehemiah 1:11
A recently widowed woman wants to remain in the house where she and her husband raised their children. Because she lives alone, she purchased a home alarm system. Now she feels hypocritical when she prays for protection. But she need not feel guilty. In the Bible, wise planning and humble dependence on God go hand-in-hand.
Nehemiah provides us with a biblical illustration of how to combine planning with prayer. He was a Jew far from home, working as cupbearer to the king of Persia. After the nation of Israel had been in captivity for 70 years, Cyrus, the first Persian king, allowed a number of Jews to go back home. Later, Ezra took more Jews back to Jerusalem and rebuilt the temple. In the first chapter of Nehemiah, though, we read that the returned captives were having a terrible time, and the walls of the once great city of Jerusalem lay in ruins (v.3).
Nehemiah wept, fasted, and prayed when he heard about the distress of the Jews who had returned to Jerusalem from exile. But he also acted, making careful plans and taking a great risk in asking the king for permission to help the Jews.
So too, if we maintain a humble dependence on God, it’s wise to do what we can. So pray--and plan! --HVL
Faith does not rule out common sense
In facing life each day,
But takes it by the hand and says,
"We’ll trust, we’ll plan, we’ll pray!" --DJD
The best plans begin and end with God. (Our Daily Bread)
