“When Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, he became angry and was greatly incensed. He ridiculed the Jews…” - Nehemiah 4:1
As the people began the work of reconstructing the wall, Israel’s opponents mounted a fierce campaign against them. Sanballat and his friends tried to bully God’s people to stop the work of rebuilding by ridiculing the people and threatening violence. As you can imagine, the people reacted in a very normal way: their emotional strength began to falter because of fear. Tension began to rise. Exhaustion set in.
How did Nehemiah handle this situation? With their enemies breathing down their necks, he encouraged the people to keep up the work. He prayed for God’s protection. “Hear us, our God, for we are despised. Turn their insults back on their own heads.” Then he planned. He stationed people as guards so that they were ready to fight. And, finally, he provided words of strength and wisdom to the people. He spoke into the tension by saying, “Don’t be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your families, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes.”
We must be reminded that when discouragement and disappointment set in, we serve a God who is strong and mighty. Because He fights for us, we can continue in the fight. Because He fights for us, we can be courageous in the midst of fear. The battle belongs to the Lord!
