We step into a new year filled with the saving grace of Jesus. Assured of God’s love, we are comforted by the reality of Christ’s birth and the ultimate purpose of His life and sacrifice.
God came into the world to overcome the world and spiritually set us free.1 Liberation is promised in the name Jesus, and faith in His name initiates our strategic plan to combat any obstacle we might face in a fallen world destined to cause grief.2
So the words from Nehemiah are particularly compelling to study: “Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”3
First we ask, who is Nehemiah? And then, how do we know what brings the Lord joy?
Nehemiah is one of the spiritual warriors in the generations before Christ whose story makes us appreciate even more deeply God’s faithfulness and loving devotion that gave us Jesus, His saving mission, and the gift of the Holy Spirit.
In Nehemiah’s time, the believers had been scattered. Those who praised and worshiped the one True God – the God of Abraham, the God of Moses – were exiled into Babylonian captivity; it wasn’t necessarily a godless society, but its gods were false gods, such as opulence, power, and greed.
News came to Nehemiah, a servant of a Persian king, that sacred spaces in Judah had been looted, the wall in Jerusalem was burned and destroyed. Overwhelmed with sorrow and motivated by concern for other believers who were “in great trouble and disgrace,” Nehemiah wept, mourned, and fasted. He prayed courageously – confessed their disobedience, praised God’s mighty reign, and requested to gather again with the righteous remnant.
As we follow along with Nehemiah’s story, we will see actions or character traits that very likely delight the Lord; however, Nehemiah’s work compels us to believe that the Lord’s ultimate joy is devotion to His commands, willingness to surrender our abilities to His guiding purpose, and trustworthiness to complete the task. In this way, the success of any human endeavor points to God’s glory and His compassionate Lordship.
I have one desire now — to live a life of reckless abandon for the Lord, putting all my energy and strength into it.
Elisabeth Elliot
Conviction
With a heavy heart, Nehemiah went about his daily duties serving the king, who took notice of Nehemiah’s solemn disposition. Nehemiah explained his grief: “Why should my face not look sad when the city where my ancestors are buried lies in ruins?”
As an exile in a strange place, Nehemiah took a risk to be vulnerable and expose the truth weighing on his heart, yet the king responded with kindness and said to Nehemiah, “What is it that you want?”
Nehemiah prayed “to the God of heaven,” and the answer to the king’s question was provided by the Lord’s Spirit. “The gracious hand of God was upon me,” Nehemiah said, and the king granted his request to return to Judah and rebuild what had been torn down.
Readiness
Nehemiah set about immediately in his work to restore the wall. He had a plan for both travel and acquisition of building materials, and he went in faith that the work was ordered and blessed by God.
“The God of heaven is the One who will grant us success,” Nehemiah said.
Upon arriving in Jerusalem, Nehemiah used the stealth cover of darkness to assess the damage and determine the entirety of the task. It was a strategic process but one that Nehemiah was allowing God to reveal, at which time he assembled a team with specific roles and responsibilities for this fateful mission.
Nehemiah admired that the “people had a mind to work,” often carrying materials in one arm and weapons in the other to ward off threatened attacks.
Confusion Endurance
The Enemy’s attacks were indeed rampant and far-reaching. Nehemiah and his team endured ridicule, discouragement, and manipulation to “create a hindrance.” Nehemiah was intimidated by government officials who disseminated letters and rumors invented to weaken the effort.
“Hear us, our God, for we are despised,” Nehemiah prayed. “Now strengthen my hands.”4
Nehemiah and his team never stopped working despite danger and princely peril. They put their trust in God to fight for them, and ultimately it was obedience to the Lord’s will that rebuked the Enemy’s reproach.
Faith empowered Nehemiah to discern between God’s consolation and the desolation of darkness sent by the Enemy to litter their minds with doubt. Nehemiah is an embodiment of Jesus’ powerful rebuke, “Get behind me, Satan.”5
The wall was restored in 52 days, which seems fast even by today’s standards. It stood as a marvelous feat – a symbol of God’s protection and what is only possible by earnest faith in the God whose love language is miracles.
“When our enemies heard about this, all the surrounding nations were afraid and disheartened, because they realized that this work had been done with the help of our God,” Nehemiah said.
