Foundations Week 28, Day 4

Scripture Read: Nehemiah 3 - 4
Title:  Repair Begins, and Opposition Continues

H.E.A.R. 
(H) Highlight verse: "And they all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and to cause confusion in it.  And we prayed to our God and set a guard as a protection against them day and night."  Nehemiah 4:8, 9

(E) Explain:  Chapter three contains the names of all the people who worked on rebuilding the wall.  It was truly a joint effort and one that they were all committed to and the opposition from Sanballet, Tobias, the Arabs, Amonites and Ashdodites continued.  The opposition goes from taunting and jeering to plotting violence against them.  The workers prayed and set guards up around the wall.  Nehemiah stationed men at the low parts of the wall with spears and bows and he had half the workers stand guard while the other half worked.  However, the workers had weapons in hand as they worked as well.

(A) Application:  When God unites his people to work together for His glory and honor, nothing can stop what He is doing.  There will always be opposition to God's work, sometimes it may be just taunting but other times it can turn to violence.  We can learn much from Nehemiah and the workers as theycould have easily been discouraged and walked away or caved in to the pressure, but they didn't.  They prayed and sought God from protection and guidance, but they didn't stop there they knew they had a part to play as well.  They needed to be proactive in continuing the work and in protecting the work they were committing to do.  They didn't just sit around and expect God to fix everything.  They took took action as well.

When God calls us to do His work it is important we be in continuual prayer, but it is also just as important to be involved in the work of God as well.  So many people are willing to commit to praying for God's work to be done,  but few are willing to actually engage in it.  When God calls us to kingdom work He doesn't just call us to pray, He calls us to pray AND do the work. ​

(R) Respond: Lord, I know prayer is important in seeing your work come to completion, but I also know you have called me to be a vessel you can use to accomplish your will.  May I always be a person who is actively and willingly doing your Kingdom work.