You may have wondered why the life of a cupbearer named Nehemiah is important to your spiritual walk. (A cupbearer served wine at the king’s table. His responsibilities included tasting the wine first to see if someone had added poison to it, so the king would be safe. Such intrigue!) Let’s investigate.
Nehemiah (a Jewish exile) is deeply saddened when he receives news that the walls that surrounded the beloved city of Jerusalem were broken down and no longer protected the city.
One day as Nehemiah serves wine to the king, the king notices his sad expression and asks what is wrong (thinking something is wrong with the wine!). Nehemiah gets ahold of himself, reassures the king that the wine is safe and then shares about his beloved city, boldly asking if he may return to Jerusalem to access the situation, promising to return. The king grants his request.
Fast forward: Nehemiah has come to Jerusalem, evaluated the situation, and developed a plan that, by the way, had to continually alter due to local opposition to get the wall finished. Miraculously the work was completed in 52 days! A shorter time than some LEGO builds.
Nehemiah’s response – to the opposition – teaches us valuable lessons in dealing with our own opposition (satan, the devil, the enemy).
Be confident in your assigned task.
Don’t get distracted with things that don’t matter—no matter how many times those distractions come knocking.
Nehemiah 6:3: So I sent messengers to them, saying, “I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down. Why should the work cease while I leave it and go down to you?”
Don’t bow to the enemy’s false accusations or change of tactics.
Stay the course!
Nehemiah 6:5-8: Then Sanballat sent his servant to me as before, the fifth time, with an open letter in his hand. 6 In it was written: It is reported among the nations, and Geshem says, that you and the Jews plan to rebel; therefore, according to these rumors, you are rebuilding the wall, that you may be their king. 7 And you have also appointed prophets to proclaim concerning you at Jerusalem, saying, “There is a king in Judah!” Now these matters will be reported to the king. So come, therefore, and let us consult together. Then I sent to him, saying, “No such things as you say are being done, but you invent them in your own heart.”
Pray for God’s help!
Nehemiah 6:9: Now therefore, O God, strengthen my hands.
4) Rejoice in the completion of a great work and that the enemy is disheartened (causing him to lose confidence in his tactics, lose hope that he will ever be effective, and lose the energy to keep trying).
Nehemiah 6:15-16: So the wall was finished on the twenty-fifth day of Elul, in fifty-two days. And it happened, when all our enemies heard of it, and all the nations around us saw these things, that they were very disheartened in their own eyes; for they perceived that this work was done by our God.
Each of us individually and, we, as a community of believers have a great work at hand. Wherever we find ourselves in the process, hear the Father say, “Keep up the great work!”
Prayer
Father, come and strengthen my confidence as I work toward completing the tasks you’ve assigned. Help me to listen to Your voice alone, weeding out all distractions.
Help us as a community of believers to stay the course of Jesus + People, to keep our hands to the task, and to persevere until a miraculous work is complete.
We rejoice in your faithfulness! In Jesus’ name, amen.