Widely Separated

 

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. 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 who were building the wall. Those who carried materials did their work with one hand and held a weapon in the other, and each of the builders wore his sword at his side as he worked. But the man who sounded the trumpet stayed with me. 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!” So we continued the work with half the men holding spears, from the first light of dawn till the stars came out. At that time I also said to the people, “Have every man and his helper stay inside Jerusalem at night, so they can serve us as guards by night and workmen by day.” Neither I nor my brothers nor my men nor the guards with me took off our clothes; each had his weapon, even when he went for water.

—Nehemiah 4:15-23

I like the story of Nehemiah. He had leadership capabilities, though he had spent his time in Persia as cupbearer for the king. He had an important role in keeping the king safe. But, God had better things for him and used his reputation with the king for the greater purpose of gaining permission to return to Jerusalem for a new project.

As Nehemiah prayed, planned, and began the great work of rebuilding the ruined walls of Jerusalem, he gathered hundreds of people around him to help. The people spread out all around the city. Widely separated from each other, they toiled determinedly to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.

That plan worked well at first. But not too long after, the Jews faced great opposition from surrounding tribes and their leaders. In spite of this opposition, Nehemiah knew that God had called him and his people to this work. So, Nehemiah arranged to keep them safe from their enemies, even as the building progressed.

What a resolute leader! Nehemiah not only saw God’s plan for Jerusalem and his role in it, he also had the kind of courage and spiritual discernment to recognize the strength of his enemies.

In our present day, what can we learn from this story? We surely also feel “widely separated” from those in our church bodies. Has God called us to a work for Him? We would all surely say that He has. If we have a wise pastoral staff, a discerning lay leadership, and an ambitious church membership, praise God for that! Many cannot say the same.

As we celebrate the talents and abilities that God has given our churches, we must also recognize the nearness of our enemies and the cleverness of their plans against us. I’m not so much talking about enemies outside the doors of our churches, such as our political leaders, various secular groups and institutions, and the large crowds of people aligned against the cause of Christ—although their actions should create in us a watchfulness, as we exist within this changing culture. I am much more concerned about the spiritual battles that go on, in subtle and dangerous ways, within the minds and hearts of our fellow believers, including myself.

God has not left us in a weak position—one in which we have no power against the enemy. Just as Nehemiah knew that his people needed to be vigilant and prepared against the onslaught of opposing forces, so we should keep our weapons of prayer and our knowledge of Scripture at the ready for every attack on the fellowship of believers to which God has called us.

In Ephesians 6:10-18, the Apostle Paul warns us of the battle. He tells the Ephesians to put on the full armor of God and stand against the devil’s schemes. In the day of Nehemiah, those schemes would have stopped the rebuilding of the wall and sent Nehemiah packing back to Persia.

We need to continue to ask ourselves: “In the coming days, what do we believe God wants our churches to build?” Once we determine our goal, can we say: “It is worth the work and the battle”?

In these days, has God given the Church a mission among the confused, hurting, angry, and weary in our culture? I would suggest that we need to not only take up the work of spreading the Gospel. We also need, at the same time, to engage in the work of a battle against evil influences.

God has called us to pray in faith and in the power given to us by His Holy Spirit, standing in His Name and with His mighty power. When we hear the trumpet call to assemble, let us come alongside each other once again—remembering how God so graciously called and empowered Nehemiah and those who worked with him—and know the powerful work of prayer together against the opposition forces. With our minds and hearts set in a single direction, we can move forward and accomplish the task before us.

May God strengthen His church for this hour!