Friday, September 5, 2008

A Storm is Coming; Fortify the Walls!

"... They are restoring the walls
and repairing the foundations."
(Ezra 4:12)

Good Morning, dear friends! I pray that you are refreshed on this fifth day of our 40-day journey. There are more storms swirling about in the Atlantic as I write this, and I pray that all who are in the path of them will take necessary safety precautions.

Without diminishing the damage caused by Hurricane Gustav, I praise God that it was not as destructive as it could have been. I watched some of the news coverage, hoping and praying that the infamous New Orleans levees would hold this time. I wondered: in the three years since Hurricane Katrina, were the walls rebuilt well enough to endure another storm? The levees did hold, all thanks and glory to God, and I was impressed at the efforts of those who risked their lives to ensure that nothing (like a wayward barge!) would damage the walls during the storm or compromise its integrity.

As I watched, I thought of Nehemiah, whose heart was burdened to rebuild Jerusalem's walls. As he prayed to the Lord, praising Him and repenting of individual and corporate sins against Him, he also asked the Lord for favor in the daunting task. (See Nehemiah 1). "And because the gracious hand of [his] God was upon [him]" (Nehemiah 2:8b), the king granted all of Nehemiah's requests, including permission to travel to Jerusalem (see Nehemiah 2:1-9).

Once in Jerusalem, Nehemiah first took inventory. He inspected Jerusalem's walls, noting the damaged areas. The walls were then rebuilt under Nehemiah's leadership, and in record time! Jerusalem's walls, which had been in ruins for more than a century, were rebuilt in 52 days. Divine assistance? Absolutely! The Lord protected their efforts in many ways before and during the process.

Another key to Nehemiah's rebuilding campaign, however, was the effort of all the individuals during the process, "... each to his own work" (Nehemiah 4:15). Each person took responsibility for repairing part of the wall, and the example was set by Eliashib, the high priest.

"Eliashib the high priest and his fellow priests went to work and rebuilt the Sheep Gate ... The Fish Gate was rebuilt by the sons of Hassenaah ... Meremoth ... repaired the next section ... Next to him, Meshullam ... made repairs ... next to him Zadok ... also made repairs. The next section was repaired by the men of Tekoa ... The Jeshanah Gate was repaired by Joiada ... and Meshullam ... Next to them, repairs were made by men from Gibeon and Mizpah ... Uzziel ... repaired the next section; and Hananiah ... made repairs next to that. ... Rephaiah ... repaired the next section. Adjoining this, Jedaiah ... made repairs opposite his house, and Hattush ... made repairs next to him. Malkijah ... and Hasshub ... repaired another section ... Shallum ... repaired the next section with the help of his daughters. The Valley Gate was repaired by Hanun and the residents of Zanoah ... The Dung Gate was repaired by Malkijah ... The Fountain Gate was repaired by Shallun ... Beyond him, Nehemiah ... made repairs ... Next to him, the repairs were made by the Levites under Rehum ... Beside him, Hashabiah ... carried out repairs for his district. Next to him, the repairs were made by their countrymen under Binnui ... Next to him, Ezer ... repaired another section ... Next to him, Baruch ... zealously repaired another section ... Next to him, Meremoth ... repaired another section ... The repairs next to him were made by the priests from the surrounding region. Beyond them, Benjamin and Hassub made repairs in front of their house; and next to them, Azariah ... made repairs beside his house. Next to him, Binnui ... repaired another section ... Next to him, Pedaiah ... and the temple servants ... made repairs ... Next to them, the men of Tekoa repaired another section ... Above the Horse Gate, the priests made repairs, each in front of his own house. Next to them, Zadok ... made repairs opposite his house. Next to him, Shemaiah ... made repairs. Next to him, Hananiah ... and Hanun ... repaired another section. Next to them, Meshullam ... made repairs opposite his living quarters. Next to him, Malkijah ... made repairs ... and between the room above the corner and the Sheep Gate the goldsmiths and merchants made repairs." (Nehemiah 3).

Did you catch the theme there? Each person, and his family, took responsibility for repairing the part of the wall near his home. Each assumed responsibility for his own proverbial backyard, while also assisting his neighbor. By uniting in purpose, by standing firm during opposition, by relying on strength and guidance from Almighty God, the wall was fortified quickly and soundly.

And what did they do afterwards? They united, praised the Lord, and meditated upon the Word of God. "All the people assembled as one man in the square ... Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly. He read it aloud from daybreak till noon ... And all the people listened attentively to the Book of the Law." (Nehemiah 8:1-3)

I think there's an important theme in Nehemiah's wallbuilding campaign, which is pertinent (and imperative!) for Christians today. We must repent for our sins--for ignoring and disobeying the Lord, for failing to submit to His will, for failing to place Him above our earthly idols, for failing to love Him with undivided hearts. We must each take inventory and assume responsibility to rebuild the ruins around us. We must unite, praising the Lord and dedicating ourselves to His Word and His will.

Then my friends, when the storms come, we will stand firm. The walls will hold. And we will gather and praise the Lord.

Precious Father, I praise You for Your goodness and grace but also for Your power and might. I pray that Your children would reverently fear You even as we love You. Let us not be like "foolish prophets who follow their own spirit" (Ezekiel 13:3), like those who "have not gone up to the breaks in the wall to repair it for the house of Israel so that it will stand firm in the battle on the day of the LORD" (Ezekiel 13:5). Awaken us, Lord, to the work that needs to be done before the storms come. Guide us individually and corporately, according to Your will. I pray in the name of Jesus, Your perfect Son and my precious Savior. Amen.

"Your people will rebuild
the ancient ruins
and will raise up
the age-old foundations;
you will be called
Repairer of Broken Walls,
Restorer of Streets with Dwellings."

(Isaiah 58:12)

(How can we encourage and pray for you today? Please let us know by posting a comment below; click on "Sparks Share" at the end of today's reflection, and scroll down to the "Comments" box. You may choose to comment anonymously, if you prefer.)

Copyright 2008. Kathryn B. Wells. All Rights Reserved.

2 comments:

Michelle said...

This was such a great message, and it blessed me tremendously!

The one theme God seems to be showing me through the day is the them of "Unity".

This morning when I was doing my devotions, the Lord put serving with my family on my heart. (Joshua 24:15 "But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.")and later He spoke to me through Matthew 12:25, ""Every kingdom divided against itself is destroyed, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand."

I even read Lincoln's "House Divided" speech of June 1858
(http://www.nationalcenter.org/HouseDivided.html)
Then learned that eight years before Lincoln's speech, during the Senate debate on the Compromise of 1850, Sam Houston had proclaimed: "A nation divided against itself cannot stand". These things really woke me up to looking at history over the years & what division has caused, as well as seeing what unity achieves!

God is moving mightily through this 40 day fast. I can hear so many things He is saying, and I pray that I can continually apply them so they can "stick".

I am very privileged to be united with so many people who are fighting for the same cause!

God bless you dear sister as you continue to share what the Holy Spirit places on your heart!!

Kathryn said...

Michelle, I love the way the Holy Spirit is moving! And, I love your additional notes on Lincoln's speech. Unity is such an important and fundamental key to restoring our country's spiritual foundation.

It's so wondrous to share this journey with you!

Blessings,
Kathryn