So I answered them, and said to them, “The God of heaven Himself will prosper us; therefore we His servants will arise and build[.] Nehemiah 2; 20, NKJV.
Father in heaven, please bless us and keep us focused until our work is done. In the name of Jesus Christ we pray. Amen.
We have heard, and most likely, have repeated these words ourselves, “If God be for us who can be against us” (Romans 8: 31b). The situation that forms the background to our Scripture for today, calls for such an affirmation. Nehemiah, was the king’s cup bearer. Because he loved God and his people, when Nehemiah received news that even after the return of the second group of captives from exile, the walls of Jerusalem had not been rebuilt, he was heartbroken. The king soon became aware that something was wrong with his servant. When he asked Nehemiah the reason for his fallen countenance, and heard his story, he realized the urgency of the situation. So the king granted him leave of absence, along with a letter requesting safe conduct for him and those accompanying him. He also authorized that he be given all the material he would need for the work of rebuilding.
Soon Nehemiah was on his way. When he arrived, he began the work without explaining anything to anyone. His enemies were not happy when they saw how the work of God was moving ahead – successfully. So they used one of the tactics of defeat – ridicule. They made fun of them, and tried to find out what their plans were. Ridicule tends to undermine a person’s confidence in him or her(self), and in what the person is doing. The person begins to wonder if his or her decision was the right one.
Oftentimes ridicule is simply a method of reverse psychology. But it did not work with Nehemiah. He knew what their real reaction was – fear and envy, “When Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite official heard of it, they were deeply disturbed that a man had come to seek the well-being of the children of Israel” (10).
In life we may meet with similar situations, but we must not allow ourselves to become discouraged. Once we are convinced that what we are doing has God’s approval, our actions do not need to be endorsed by anyone else. There will be the naysayers, the backbiters, the pessimists, the gossipers, and those who will ridicule. Consider it all, a part of the Adversary’s plan, and just keep on building!
Our success in life will depend (after we have done everything that lies in our power), ultimately, on the fact that ” ‘ “The God of heaven Himself will prosper us!” ‘ ” Therefore, give a deaf ear to those who, instead of offering to pray for God to direct you; or, give you God-inspired advice; or, ask God to bless the work of your hands, prefer to discourage you. Therefore, “arise and build.”