August 11: Of Bricks, One at a Time

Nehemiah 1:1-3:14

1 Corinthians 7:1-24

Psalm 31:19-24

Proverbs 21:4

Have you ever had a moment when it hits you how much a mess you've made of things?  The moment can come many ways - the night before finals and you haven't studied at all; the day a bill is due and there isn't money in the bank; the summer the kids leave home and you haven't taught them what they need to know.  A flood of emotion engulfs you - regret, remorse, anger, sadness, helplessness and fear - none of them very good alone, together threatening to drown you into giving up.  

That must have been what Nehemiah felt.  In exile, he learned those who had returned to Israel were "in great trouble and disgrace", and that the wall of Jerusalem was broken down, its gates burned with fire.  He was so overwhelmed, he sat down and wept.  At that point he must have been tempted to give up.  

What did Nehemiah do?  He repented of Israel's sin, lamented Israel's situation to the Lord, and cried out to God for help.  He mourned, he fasted and he prayed.  And he remembered that he had no claim on God - and that his prayer was premised on God's words: "…but if you return to me and obey my commands, then even if your exiled people are at the farthest horizon, I will gather them from there and bring them to the place I have chosen as a dwelling for My Name."

After he did this, two things worth noting.  First, God answered his prayer. King Artaxerxes permitted him to return to Jerusalem, and gave him what he needed to rebuild.  And second, God didn't wave His hand and rebuild Jerusalem.  No, Nehemiah and the Israelites had to go through the rebuilding process, one brick at a time.  But in the end, the rebuilt many of the gates and much of the wall, restoring much of Jerusalem.  It took time and effort, but they got much done - none of which would have been possible, had Nehemiah not first prayed, nor had God not answered Nehemiah's prayer with Artaxerxes's permission and support.

If you are like me, you are a parent who worries for his kids, has bills to pay, and struggles with deadlines he needs to meet; you are an adult who looks around and sees the sinful distortion our society has come to accept; you are a person who thinks he's just made a total hash of things.  And you may find yourself overwhelmed, tempted to just give up.  Don't.  Nehemiah gives us a set of instructions to follow:  acknowledge our sin, turn to God, repent, ask for help, and rely on His promises.  And then wait, and when He answers, do what needs to be done - one brick at a time.