John spoke this morning from Nehemiah 4 on rebuilding for God. Nehemiah had undertaken the tremendous endeavour of rebuilding Jerusalem’s walls because of God’s calling to do this, a task which took him out of his comfort zone. When God is in control of our lives, we are not… which can be very uncomfortable for us, but is the best way to live.
Nehemiah’s motives in rebuilding the walls are called into question by Sanballat and Tobiah who ask five questions. We will have to face these questions too when we endeavour to build for God.
1. Purpose
The question was asked ‘What are these feeble Jews trying to achieve?’ We will always need to look at our purpose and whether we are living for God’s purpose or seeking to fit His purpose into our lives, rather than working primarily to His agenda. Nehemiah called on God to work according to His promises, for he knew that he had been called to this task (and being released from his important role as cup-bearer to the king was confirmation of this calling.) Ps 127:1 reminds us that unless the Lord builds the house, we labour in vain. We need to be sure we know why we are doing the things we are doing.
2. Protection
We can rest secure in the fact that God protects His people (see Ps 91:1-2, 7). Our safety comes from dwelling in God’s presence and we can rest secure in the fact that God fights for us and is on our side. When we walk in God’s will, we are offered His continuous protection and can be sure that He will cause all things to work together for good. (Rom 8:28)
3. Power
All work for God will inevitably involve sacrifice; it is only when we place our sacrifice on the altar that God’s fire falls. When we have abdicated our will to God’s will and surrendered our lives to Him (see Rom 12:1-2), we can experience God’s power in our lives, but this involves the painful death of the self, a daily denial of self that leads to Christ living in us.
4. Perception
How accurately have we perceived what God wants us to do? Many of us hope that God’s work will involve minimal effort and will be a short-term task, but He calls us to a marathon, not a sprint. God urges us to count the cost before we start the journey.
‘I’m saying yes to You
And no to my desires
I’ll leave myself behind
And follow You
I’ll walk the narrow road
’cause it leads me to You
I’ll fall but grace
Will pick me up again
I’ve counted up the cost
Oh I’ve counted up the cost
Yes I’ve counted up the cost
And You are worth it.’ (‘The Cost,’ Rend Collective Experiment)
5. Persistence
Nehemiah and the builders had to sift the rubble to find the stones they needed to rebuild the walls. The timber for the gates had already been provided, but now, labour was required to patiently sift through the mixture of rubble and stones. It is very easy to start projects and even to half-finish them, but God wants us to stick at it, re-assessing our work at times and keeping on working. 1 Pet 2:9 reminds us that we are living stones which have been rescued by God. Much of our labour for God appears to be unknown, unnoticed and unappreciated, but we have to continue working selflessly, secure in the fact that God knows, notices and appreciates all we do. We are all labourers together for Christ, building His church with Him and glorifying His name. We need to stir up the gift within us and continue working, even when we are mocked, threatened and challenged as Nehemiah was.