Nehemiah 4:7-8 (NIV): But when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites and the people of Ashdod heard that the repairs to Jerusalem’s walls had gone ahead and that the gaps were being closed, they were very angry. They all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and stir up trouble against it.
Three years ago my wife, my mother-in-law, and I moved into the barn on our property. We had just built the barn ourselves with the help of friends. Building the barn was one thing. Overseeing the building of our home was another. We simply kept having problems. We had problems with material, with unscrupulous contractors, and with weather. A process that we had hoped would take 8 months ended up taking 15 months.
Nehemiah was charged by God to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. The above verses share that Nehemiah had enemies who did not want the walls repaired. They were committed to his failure. There were even those from the recently returned exiles who also opposed Nehemiah’s God given plans. In other words, Nehemiah had opposition both externally and internally.
Today, the Church has opposition. When the Church stands for the lives of the unborn, there are those who claim that women control everything in their bodies, even other human beings that are growing there. When the Church stands for marriage being between a husband and a wife, there are those who attack the Church and state that it is full of haters. When the Church stands on the ground that God created human beings as male and female, a response of many is to oppose God as Creator.
What am I to do?
I choose to join Nehemiah and rebuild the wall. I choose to rebuild the Church on the truths as found in the Bible. I choose to stand with Jesus who proved His love for me and the world by dying on a cross and coming back to life. I choose to lovingly stand for God and against those who oppose God’s plans.
Prayer: Lord God, as part of Your Church, I face opposition from others. May I stand firm. May I lovingly respond even in the face of fierce opposition. I choose to follow Jesus who died for me and who shows me how to sacrificially love others.
