Don’t Come Down
I have a couple of friends who call and text me regularly to check on me or encourage me. They know that leadership has its challenges and its lonely moments. Nehemiah certainly learned that when God calls you to do a kingdom project, you will have opposition. Opposition has many faces and names. Sometimes opposition comes in groups and organizations. It can come from politics, business competitors, compliance entities, and even from people in your church. Groups can mount powerful opposition, but groups are made up of, and often stirred up by, individuals who have names.
Sanballat, Tobiah, and Gershem did not like the work Nehemiah was doing. It threatened their status, their comfort, their power, and their identity. They did not want the walls of Jerusalem rebuilt, so they went after Nehemiah. They tried to discourage him, interrupt him, and even plotted to kill him in order to get him to stop.
When you are doing God's work, the enemy will use anything and everything to oppose you. He will even use personal attacks. The enemy does not want to have his territory taken back, and so he fights for it and enlists others to form the opposition. But Nehemiah would not stop from what God called him to do. His response to the critics who were trying to get him off the wall was bold and clear: "I am doing a great work and I cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and come down to you?"
Let me point out 3 things we can learn from Nehemiah's response:
1) "I'm doing a great work." Nehemiah was doing a great work. He didn't say, “I'm great,” or even, “I do great work.” He established that the work was great. It was a great cause. He was rebuilding the city where the temple of God and God's children were to reside. He was on a God-sized mission. It is okay to acknowledge God's projects as great work.
2) "I cannot come down." The cause is too important. The mission compels me. God's call is on my life. I simply can't be interrupted or distracted by things that will keep me from doing what God has called me to do. It's okay to say no to things, and even people, who get in the way of kingdom work.
3) "Why should the work stop while I leave it and come down to you?" If Nehemiah had come off the wall, not only would God's work have stopped, but he would also have lowered himself to the status of the opposers. He would have given in to their low position. His humility kept him on the wall. If he had stepped off the wall, his pride would have taken over as he tried to solve the problem alone.
My friends often end our conversations with one of two phrases, "Can't stop, won't stop," or they simply remind mem, "You are doing a great work, don't come off the wall."
If God has you doing a great work, don't come off the wall!
Your Time with God’s Word
Nehemiah 6:1-9, 15-16 ESV
Photo by Pexels
To receive daily posts delivered directly to your inbox, complete the form at the bottom of our home page.
