Nehemiah

Somewhere in time, between 455 -432 B.C., the Old Testament book of Nehemiah was written. It was written by Nehemiah as he recounted his story to us.  Nehemiah was the cup bearer for the King of Persia.  One day the King noticed that Nehemiah seemed depressed.  When questioned, Nehemiah told the King he was sad about the condition of the city of Jerusalem. The Israelites that had been in exile in Persia were allowed to return, but the walls were broken and burned, so there was no protection. The King listened and gave Nehemiah all he asked for. This enabled him to travel to Jerusalem with a plan to make things better.

When he arrived, the sight was almost disheartening.  The scope of the issue was so large.  The people already living in the city had not even begun to fix the problem of the wall.  They were living unprotected and open for attack by their enemies.  The problem almost seemed too large to tackle by so few.

Have you ever been in a situation like that?  The problem seems so big that the ability to solve it seems impossible?  I think this overwhelming feeling impacts all of us at least once in our lives. At times it’s something personal we are working through.  Other times, it’s just becoming aware of the needs in our world and feeling powerless to do anything that could possibly make a difference. 

Nehemiah had a problem, but he has had a plan and a vision for how to carry it out.

He took the large problem and broke it down into manageable pieces.  Every person was responsible for the wall nearest their house.  With each person tackling a small portion, together they were able to build a large protective wall.  Together they solved their mutual problem.

Nehemiah 6:15-16 (NIV) “So the wall was completed on the twenty-fifth of Elul, in fifty-two days. When all our enemies heard about this, all the surrounding nations were afraid and lost their self-confidence, because they realized that this work had been done with the help of our God.”

When you are faced with an insurmountable problem, remember that you are not alone.  God is with you.  Sometimes, God places people in our lives that can help us.  Sometimes, he needs us to completely rely on Him. Either way, help is available, we just have to ask.

Just remember – one brick at a time. Do what you can do and don’t get discouraged.

Chris Tomlin - I Lift My Hands (Official Music Video) from chris-tomlin on GodTube.