*The Bible verses are from the Tree of Life Version.
Opposition! Ugh! No one likes opposition, but I’ve heard it said that as surely as you set out to do something for God, someone will surely come to oppose it. Opposition gets us into a place of considering, or reconsidering, if what we are doing is a good idea or a God idea. (Thank you "opposition"!)
There is a difference between "good" and "God". I have good ideas all the time, seriously, I do. I have great ideas, in fact the problem is that I have so many ideas I have to really sort through them and ask, “Is this a good idea, or a God idea?” all the time. Nehemiah prayed, fasted, went to his leader, and had much confirmation before the opposition came. How quickly do we doubt what we are called to do, even when we have done all those things? But doubting was not what Nehemiah’s response was. I believe his confidence came from the months of prayer leading unto to build… and after all those months, the walls were done in a sweet 52 days. Is the quickness of the build correlated to the prayer foundation? Hmmmm... let’s look at the verses.
In verse one we quickly see that the enemy was provoked by "restoration" - or the closing of breaches. He really loves separation, disunity and brokenness. It was the closing of the breaches that stirred the enemy up.
“Now when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabians, the Ammonites, and the people of Ashdod heard that restoration of the walls of Jerusalem was proceeding and that the breaches had begun to be closed, they became extremely angry.”
Then in verse two we see the enemies “conspired together” — look at the power of unity here. Personally, I am thinking about my response when I am faced with opposition, do I stop and look at it and get enticed by fear of man, or do I keep my eyes on Jesus and my focus on staying true to what I KNOW God has said?
“They all conspired together to come and fight against Jerusalem, and to stir up trouble against it. ”
Do I stress? Do I worry? Better yet, do I stop what I am doing for a second and allow consideration of changing plans into my mind? Guilty as charged. I have continually and habitually sinned in this area of “double mindedness”. Double mindedness is disobedience. It is doubt. It is unbelief. This is why I am deeply impacted by these chapters— here is what I imagine, to consider.
Nehemiah hears about the walls being broken down and is grieved. After months of prayer, he approaches the king. By the time he arrives in Jerusalem from the time he first got the news about the walls being broken down was a few months, and the journey, maybe several weeks, and during that time he was praying, plotting, and seeking God on how to approach the situation upon his arrival. He didn’t just show up and make a decision in that moment.
I imagine he planned everything. He planned to tell no one what God laid on his heart, I imagine nothing was on accident but was strategy he received from the Lord that kept him focused on what the Lord put in His heart and to keep him from distraction. What was he doing during the three days he rested before the first “sneaky” inspection?
It reminds me of Jesus in the wilderness, a time of strengthening his heart and mind for focus on the calling for what he was about to step into. With that in mind, I wonder, how many times am I doing something without the time invested in prayer around it?
And could it be that is why I can be easily distracted or give into the fear of man and get my eyes off of Jesus?And in those moments of temptation to get discouraged, distracted or listen to what others coming against me are saying, why don’t I ask God things like, “what do you think of what I am doing?” Or, “am I doing a good job, Lord?”
Why is it we turn to people, albeit a spiritual mom or dad even and ask them, “What do you think? How am I doing?” Why am I so quick to ask humans for encouragement when God is the one who put the thing on my heart?
Take a moment and ask the Lord these questions about your life.
Lord, what are the things I am doing that are pleasing to You?
Lord, what areas of my life are not what You have called me to, but perhaps driven by self and not God-led?
Father, help me today to slow down, to pray with careful consideration. The be slow to speak, quick to listen and quick to obey. In this very ‘wordy’ world, help me to listen to You and minimize the noise around me so that I may be confident in what I hear You speaking to me. In Jesus name, amen.