rebuilding the wall, part 2

When he heard about the wasted state of Jerusalem and the plight of its people, Nehemiah made up his mind: He would do something about it. Still, the fact remained that between him and the desired outcome stood a number of seemingly insurmountable obstacles. His response in the face of friction shows remarkable insight, forethought, courage, and determination. In short, Nehemiah’s story has much to teach us about making our visions a reality.

 

First, he knew that rebuilding Jerusalem’s walls required the approval of Artaxerxes. Nehemiah and his people were subjects of the Persian Empire. And while Persia was less heavy-handed toward its conquered peoples than Babylon had been, it had no less of a vested interest in keeping them under its thumb. Thus it was expected that the king would be, at best, unsympathetic to the Jewish cause and at worst, openly hostile. After all, reconstruction of the fortifications of a city with a long track record of defiance could be deemed less than politically expedient. Indeed, this appeared to be the leaning of Artaxerxes, who had earlier labeled Jerusalem a “hotbed of insurrection,” and summarily ordered that all rebuilding efforts be immediately discontinued (Ezra 4:19, 21).

 

The odds were stacked heavily against Nehemiah; there was small likelihood that the king would so drastically change his opinion. Yet Nehemiah took his case to God and asked for nothing less than a complete reversal of the king’s former position on the matter (1:11b). Perhaps he read and reread the words penned by Solomon some five centuries prior: “The king’s heart is like a stream of water directed by the Lord; he guides it wherever he pleases” (Proverbs 21:1, NLT). Artaxerxes was, to the world, a mercurial sovereign with the absolute authority of a god; to Nehemiah, he was a tool to be employed in the purposes of an all-powerful God.

 

What factors conspire to keep our church subjugated? What policies or attitudes need reversing so that God’s plans can be set into motion? Are we intentionally praying for that change?

 

Second, Nehemiah was not equipped for the task at hand. He was not a mason, military commander, or political strategist – all jobs which would be required of someone rebuilding the wall (and all of which he would later fulfill). But he would not be deterred. Instead of lamenting what he was not, he leveraged what he was. As royal cupbearer he did not possess great power, but he did have great opportunity for influence. His was a position of considerable trust, being a line of defense against assassination attempts; he tested the king’s food and drink to ensure it was not poisoned. Someone of a more radical bent might have employed this station to conspire to overthrow Persian rule. Not Nehemiah. He performed his duties to the best of his ability, believing that God placed him there for good reason. And by operating within God’s framework, he garnered favor with Artaxerxes.

 

It has been said that God does not call the equipped, but equips the called. Are we heeding his call to action, even when it seems that we may not have all of the pieces in place? Are we leveraging what he has given to us – money, facilities, manpower, etc. – to its fullest potential?

 

Then there was the issue of timing. Nehemiah was not given a well-defined timeline for action. He possessed only a general conviction that God wanted the rebuilding to happen. On the one hand, he had to be ready at a moment’s notice. And on the other, he had to possess nearly infinite patience. When the moment to act finally did arrive, five months had elapsed since he first heard of the walls. Depending upon his perspective, this may have seemed an eternity; perhaps he had wanted to start immediately. Or he may have wanted more time to prepare. Either way, Nehemiah conformed to God’s schedule. He watched for the opportunity and was ready to seize it when it came.

 

Are we willing to follow God’s timetable, even when we feel unprepared? If his timing doesn’t line up with our own, whose schedule takes precedence?

 

Last, Nehemiah had to contend with fear. In his telling of events, he freely admits, “I was terrified” (2:2). How would Artaxerxes respond to his request? There was no shortage of things to fear – the king’s displeasure, the possibility of losing his job, making waves, the magnitude of the undertaking before him, leaving the known and comfortable. But he did not allow his fear to cripple him. Just the opposite, he made his case boldly, even going so far as to ask the king to finance the project (2:8). And God blessed his bold faith: “The king granted these requests, because the gracious hand of God was on me” (2:8b, NLT).

 

Are we pursuing God’s plans in boldness? Or are we giving place to fears of rocking the boat, fears of where the funding will come from, fears of breaking new ground, fears of “we’ve never done it that way before”?

 

If our visions go unopposed, if they don’t give us pause, if they fail to raise questions and doubts, if they do not prompt us to face our fears, then they are not big enough. And if they are not big enough we need to trade them in for bigger, God-sized visions. And so I ask: What is God’s vision for us as a church? What monumental undertaking is he calling us to?