Half Built Walls

Make up Your Mind already…

Last week I announced my intent to step away from my blog and focus on other priorities. After further consideration, I won’t shut down the blog completely, writing periodically on topics related to my God-given passions and life goals.

The Old Testament book of Nehemiah is a phenomenal lesson on leadership and strategy. The walls of Jerusalem had been down for 140 years before God burdens Nehemiah to do something about it. Empowered by prayer and gifted with vision and strategy, Nehemiah obtained the buy-in from a pagan Persian king and key leaders in Jerusalem to rebuild the walls. Despite constant opposition, he divided up the work and the people completed the wall in 52 days. Yet, the project risked failure at the halfway point:

So we built the wall. And all the wall was joined together to half its height, for the people had a mind to work.

But when Sanballat and Tobiah and the Arabs and the Ammonites and the Ashdodites heard that the repairing of the walls of Jerusalem was going forward and that the breaches were beginning to be closed, they were very angry. 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.

In Judah it was said, “The strength of those who bear the burdens is failing. There is too much rubble. By ourselves we will not be able to rebuild the wall.” Nehemiah 4:6-10 (emphasis mine)

How often do we start a work and are tempted to abandon it when we grow tired, discouraged, or face continued opposition? This has been a recent battle for me. It would be so much easier to “throw in the towel” in a particular area of ministry, instead of pressing on. I know that this is not the solution. Rather, the solution is found in Nehemiah 4:14c, “Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome…” The Lord is great and His plans will succeed. He will bring growth. He will arrange the necessary components. He will bring the work to completion, just as he did in Nehemiah, because He is great and awesome!

I must press on, with a priority of prayer, and depending on the Lord to give me the strength and resolve for the work to which He has called me. Great days are ahead and I am excited to see how the Lord works, according to His great and awesome plans.