“Our God Will Give Us Success”
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On the first Sunday of the first year of the new decade, I shared a message with our congregation which originated from the life of Nehemiah. His story is usually the prototype many pastors and leaders turn to when they are searching for a glaring example of a person who God uses as a result of their willingness to submit themselves to Him. And ultimately, that is what Christian leadership is all about: submission to God.
To re - familiarize you, here’s the gist of the story: Nehemiah is serving the King of Persia as his cupbearer when he hears of the plight of his native city Jerusalem. The place is in ruins and the Israelites, God’s chosen people, are scattered, living like vagabonds without a home.
Nehemiah is grieved by what is happening and first chooses to take his grief to his God. He asks the Lord for favour with the King of Persia so that he can be released from his duties in order to see about the repair of the walls of Jerusalem. The state of the city was now a reproach to its people and their God. Nehemiah couldn’t stomach that. As a matter of fact, his grief was so deep and his desire to do something so great that he forsook food as he made his requests known to God.
God hears Nehemiah’s prayer and grants him favour with his employer. Not only does the King release Nehemiah to repair the walls of Jerusalem but he also offers him much needed aid.
Nehemiah sets out as just one man with a goal in mind. He inspects the wall of Jerusalem and concludes that the work can be done, that Jerusalem can shine again, that its people can return and no longer be in disgrace or defenceless. He convinces many others to accompany him on the journey of rebuilding.
Nehemiah has his detractors, those who want to incite trouble and stop the work. He rebukes them by saying “Our God will give us success.” Nehemiah even has to deal with the very real possibility of physical confrontation with those who oppose what he’s doing. But he tells his fellow workers to continue their work on the wall as they attach swords to their workbelts.
There is even one chapter in Nehemiah that serves as a roll call of just some of the people who took care of particular duties in regards to the reconstruction of Jerusalem’s wall. This definitely illustrates that it wasn’t a one man job - though it did take a spark (in Nehemiah’s heart) to start a fire (the rebuilding of the wall).
As we enter this new decade, I think there are several challenges which face all of us, regardless of race, background, and even faith:
- rebuilding the walls of our world:there is nowhere that this is more poignant than the current reconstruction operation which is taking place in Haiti. This country has been broken and its people are suffering, homeless, probably a scene with some similiarity to what Nehehiah saw in Jerusalem in his time. There are many trouble spots in our world today where people’s lives need to be rebuilt. Most are visibly apparent in third world countries, but some are evident within the borders of North America; neighbourhoods that are crumbling and epidemics of drug use, homelessness, and societal downturn prevalent. Thank God for people who have allowed a spark in their hearts to light a fire in regards to erecting the walls - the literal, physical walls - that have broken down in these parts of the world.
- rebuilding the walls of our communities: there was a time when someone said that ‘it takes a village to raise a child.’ But in many communities, this ‘wall’ is down and today’s younger generations are too often left to fend for themselves, even in the best cities that our country has to offer. You may say or think that those who are ‘undefended’ or not seen to are in the minority. But I say one child or one youth who is left defenseless against what this life offers - left without guidance or direction - is one child or one youth too much. Speaking as a man of faith and a minister of the Gospel, this is a problem the majority of churches are too light in addressing (you can usually see this by our church budgets in regards to children’s and youth ministry). On the other end of the spectrum is the equally alarming trend of disregard for the elderly. These are walls that need to be rebuilt and fortified in our communities.
- rebuilding the walls of our lives; on a personal note, there are often many areas for a man or a woman where we could all do better: physical maintenance, healthy habits, proper intellectual stimulation, valued contribution to a group or organization, and spiritual growth. The absence of these results in every kind of vice and failure that we see manifested in today’s newspapers and on today’s websites. The walls of our lives need to be fortified so that we really do serve as citizens who make a difference and leave everywhere we go better than we found it and happier that we were present.
All of this is a daunting task. Nehemiah’s rebuilding of Jerusalem was a daunting task. That’s why he called on God, and that’s why Christians do the same. We see what needs to be done but we know we can’t do it on our own.
One of my goals this year is to draw all of the congregants of Christian Life Assembly closer to God in prayer. I believe that this is our richest and most unique resource that we have as a church. The more that we mine into this sacred territory, I believe it is the more that God will work in and for us.
I want to invite you to make this year a year that you pray like you’ve never prayed before. For your own benefit? Not primarily, though studies show that you will actually enjoy both physical and spiritual benefit to your life. No, we all need to bow before the Higher Power and pray because there are many tasks on this earth, and in our lives, that we need to do, and that we need His help in doing. This is the year to taste and see that the Lord is good. Will you dip your hands into His river of refreshing water and experience His refreshing touch?
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