Nehemiah 4:10-23

Nehemiah was facing opposition and obstacles. He had heard the news of the destroyed wall of Jerusalem. He had immediately prayed, seeking God's will and strength. When Artexerxes asked what he could do, Nehemiah was faced with doubt and fear. But our God is faithful and the king gave Nehemiah all he asked for, and more, when he took that step of faith.

Each time Nehemiah took a step of faith he was met with some form of opposition. He had experienced fear, ridicule, mocking, and physical threats. He met the opposition first with prayer. The threats continued from the opposition. Like a bad cold, they just wouldn’t go away.

Nehemiah's example has taught us that anytime we begin to do God's will in our life, we will encounter opposition. We have also seen that Nehemiah and the builders, by prayer and faith, did not stop their work on the wall when they encountered trouble. Up to this point, they had overcome each of the obstacles from the opposition.

A story is told about a time when the California coast was shrouded in fog.  It was the morning of July 4, 1952. Twenty-one miles to the west, on Catalina Island, a thirty-four year old woman waded into the water and began swimming toward California. She was determined to be the first woman to ever swim the twenty-one mile strait. Her name was Florence Chadwick. She had already finished swimming the English Channel in both directions.

The water was numbing cold that morning and the fog was so thick that Chadwick could hardly see the boats in her own party. They were there to scare away the sharks. As the hours ticked off, she swam on. Fatigue had never been a serious problem; it was only the bone chilling cold of the water that was threatening.

More than fifteen hours later, numbed with the cold, the swimmer asked to be taken out. She couldn't go on any longer. Her mother and her trainer, in a boat alongside her, urged Florence to go on, as they were getting closer to the shore. Yet all she could see was the dense fog.

A few minutes later, the swimmer was taken out of the water, and later, realizing she had been within a half-mile of the shore, she blurted out, "I’m not excusing myself, but if I could have seen the shore, I might have made it."

Florence Chadwick had been licked, not by the cold or even by the fatigue, but by the fog! The fog had obscured her goal; it had blinded her reason and her eyes. (Illustrations for Biblical Preaching, Michael P. Green, p. 165-166).

Fatigue

Nehemiah was about to face one of the most prevalent dangers the church will encounter while accomplishing God's will. Like Florence Chadwick, Nehemiah and the builders were coming to that point of any task where hearts begin to grow weary and doubt begins to creep in.  Meanwhile, the people in Judah said, "The strength of the laborers is giving out, and there is so much rubble that we cannot rebuild the wall. Also our enemies said, Before they know it or see us, we will be right there among them and will kill them and put an end to the work." Neh. 4:10

Many recall some of the most notorious industrial accidents in recent years - Exxon Valdez, Three Mile Island, Chernobyl, the fatal navigational error of Korean Air Lines 007; all occurred in the middle of the night. When the USS Vincennes shot down an Iranian A300 airbus killing all 290 people aboard, fatigue-stressed operators in the high-tech Combat Information Center on the carrier misinterpreted radar data and repeatedly told their captain the jet was descending as if to attack when in fact the airliner remained on a normal flight path.

In the Challenger space shuttle disaster, key NASA officials, after working twenty hours straight with only two or three hours of sleep the night before, made the ill-fated decision to go ahead with the launch. Their error in judgment cost the lives of seven astronauts and nearly killed the U.S. space program. We ignore our need for rest and renewal at the peril of others and ourselves. (Martin Moore-Ede. In The Twenty Four Hour Society.)

As believers we've read Ecclesiastes 9:10 that said, "Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might."  Fatigue always comes with its partner, fear. When you get tired even the smallest obstacle seems large. We are more susceptible to fear when we are tired. As the great coach Vince Lombardi once said, "Fatigue makes cowards of us all." The combination of the two can be most devastating. We will burn out like a bottle rocket and come crashing to the earth. How do we overcome the problems of fatigue and fear?

Pray and Post

"But we prayed to our God and posted a guard day and night to meet this threat."

Again, the process of protection and recovery begins with prayer and ends with action. It seems this is a theme in all of scripture. Isaiah 40:31 says, "But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."

Here strength is evidently used in the sense of renewing, or causing to revive; to increase, and to restore that which is decayed. It means that the people of God who trust in Him shall become strong in faith; able to contend with their spiritual foes, to gain the victory over their sins, and to discharge their duties, and to meet the trials of life. God gives them strength, if they seek Him in the way of His appointment - a promise which has been verified in the experience of His people in every age. (Barnes Notes on the Old Testament)

Our hope is in the Lord. He is where we are to turn when we grow weary and anxious. It is at His altar we come to be refreshed. The Living Water and the Bread of Life are ours for the asking. All we need to do is come to the table in prayer and thanksgiving recognizing Him as our source for all our needs.  Once refreshed, we go forth, not in our own power, but the Lord’s. We should trust in Him every step of the way knowing that He will provide the power, protection, and provisions to do His will against insurmountable odds. Nehemiah and the builders trusted and hoped in the Lord and they kept working and they also rested in shifts.

Internal Turmoil

"Also our enemies said, 'Before they know it or see us, we will be right there among them and will kill them and put an end to the work.' Then the Jews who lived near them came and told us ten times over, 'Wherever you turn, they will attack us.'" Neh. 4:11

The enemy comes in and becomes "one of us" unless we are discerning.  For example, the Homosexual activists have been very clever in appearing as normal families while hiding the diabolical acts they engage in on a regular basis.  They have infiltrated some churches becoming leaders and even clergy. God calls it an abomination and so should we.

The message was told ten times over "they are coming to kill you while you sleep, when you least expect it."  Nehemiah and the builders received the news from the Jews living in the outlying areas near the opponents' camp.  The Arabs, Ammonites, and the Philistines of Ashdod were planning to attack Jerusalem before the wall was completed. They would be able to take the city by surprise and destroy Jerusalem again before the wall was strengthened and complete.  Nehemiah received the warning, "You’re surrounded!"  For anyone, those are frightful words. They are enough to cause fear and trembling to the most trained of soldiers. Nehemiah and the builders had to deal with essentially those words. Fortunately Nehemiah heeded the warning as he had before.

Review and Renewal

"After I looked things over, I stood up and said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people, 'Don’t be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes.'" Neh.4:14  That verse should be the call of all serious church leaders to their people; "fight for your brothers, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes."  We should urge anyone under our influence to be sure to vote "yes"  on One this November 3rd to protect marriage and family here in Maine.  It is our last chance.

Nehemiah took steps to ensure that the enemy would not triumph at this important juncture. First, he took a walk and reviewed their plan and work. He saw who was stationed where, he made sure each section had the proper armaments, and he made sure that the men were aware of what might happen. He went out like a good leader and walked among the soldiers.

Secondly, he reviewed their source of purpose and strength. It was not his task they were doing, it was God's. He is the one who would give them strength and assurance and it is He who will never fail. It is He who is great and awesome and He would ultimately protect them. It is always about God and not us.

Finally, they renewed their efforts to build the wall. They had taken their break time, been revived, and now it was time to get back into the work. "When our enemies heard that we were aware of their plot and that God had frustrated it, we all returned to the wall, each to his own work." Neh. 4:15  If believers and moral people will take a stand, the enemies of the family will back off.

A few years ago the Commandant of the Marine Corps stood before the graduating class of officers from Quantico. He reminded them of the proud traditions of the Marine Corps. He reminded them of their loyalty to God, country, and Corps. He also reminded them of the great sacrifices made by the men who wore the uniform of the United States Marines and the sacrifice they might ultimately be called on to make.  To each one of the graduates he gave advice derived from countless experiences and situations. All of it was essential to winning in battle. Their life and the lives of those who were about to serve with them, counted on whether or not they remembered the pearls of wisdom they had learned.

Out of all the things he said, there was one statement from which Christians can greatly benefit.  He said: "Never go into an hour long battle with 10 minutes worth of ammunition."

How many believers go into battle with little or no ammunition? They do not walk with the "sword of the spirit", and they go in their own strength. Many forget that it’s not about them but about God.

May the Lord find us faithful to boldly proclaim His Word.

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HELPFUL LINKS FOR LEADERS: 

Christian College Nixes Forum With Homosexual Filmmaker

Marriage in Maine: Why  We'd Better Fight

Faith Benefits Marriage and Family

Connolly Asked to Retract His Lie

Educational Pornography

Americans Alarmed at Attacks on Free Speech

Companies Get 'gayer' as Economy Declines

Hate Crimes Now Federal Law

FCC And Liberal Churches Want to Silence You

Jesus in the Manger Gets Dumped

Chill Settles Over 'Global Warming'

Educating Teachers and Schools on Religious Rights

St. Louis pays $80,000 for censoring Christians

Sustein urgres: Abolish Marriage

Money and Morality

Extreme Makeover: Megachurch Edition

Is the Tide Turning on Gay Marriage?

Prez Wants to Restrict Free Speech

Lawsuits Continue to Block Parental Notification

Abortion Activists Fight Cathollic Hospital

Former "Act-Up" member, now 'Safe School' Czar

Student sues for right to wear Pro-life shirt

Lieberman pushing pro-homosexual measures

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The Christian Civic League of Maine was formed in 1897 to name and confront sin.  Today, The Maine Family Policy Council continues to minister in a similar tradition.  The only solution is both the most costly and least expensive which is the righteousness of Jesus Christ - the Gospel.

You can help Change Maine! Consider this your invitation to partner with The Maine Family Policy Council, this year, as we proclaim the uncompromised truth of God's Word in the public square.  The MFPC has a public voice that churches and even denominations do not have.  We are currently engaging the battle to defeat Homosexual Marriage and the expansion of gambling.  Your help is needed now more than ever.

Some Maine churches have included the MFPC in their missions budget.  Thank you for considering joining other churches who are partnering with the us and thank you for your prayers. 

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