English Devotion - Prayer and Preparedness

Prayer And Preparedness

Nehemiah 4 7-23

Nehemiah had excellent leadership skill that was able to accomplish anything, but it only  a secondary part.
The major thing needed was prayer, a kind of prayer that changes the world.
When Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites and the men of Ashdod heard that the repairs to Jerusalem's walls had gone ahead and that the gaps were being closed, they all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and stir up trouble against it.

However, Nehemiah persists against the mockery and scorn of his enemies’ attack as he regards it as an insult against God himself.

He simply responds by praying and it reminds us of Peter's words about Jesus: "When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate. When he suffered, he made no threats," (1 Peter 2:23).

He is asking that these people be destroyed, although this is a very strange prayer however it is not Nehemiah, the ordinary citizen, the individual, who has been injured by someone's personal attack praying.

But, this is the Governor of Judea, praying about maintaining order and peace in his land and forwarding the work that God himself had sent him to do.
This is a different kind of prayer because it is a prayer of an authority seeking to handle the problem of evil.

Nehemiah carefully assesses the situation and evaluates what is needed and reviews the spiritual resources available to them.

Because they were believers, they had a power at work in their lives that their enemies knew nothing about, the great and awesome God who was with them would stand with them in their peril.

Ridicule and sarcasm did not destroy their confidence.

They went ahead with the work. But the enemies of God are not through. 

They grow even angrier, and resolve upon the use of force.

Nehemiah goes on to maintain his readiness, he combines the work with the war as each man goes to work with an instrument in one hand for labor and a sword in the other for battle.

There is an alertness, a vigilance here, that does not even allow for comfort.
They were ready to endure hardship for the sake of the Lord.

It must have been very uncomfortable, sleeping in their clothes on the hard ground beside the walls, but they were ready for anything for the cause.

When we face enmity, we should do so with careful preparation, perseverance, and above all, prayer.

As we do this, God will enable us to solve the problems that face us and move toward rebuilding the ruined areas of our lives.

God is so desirous of changing things about us that He wants to use any child of God that would open their hearts to His purposes.

What about you? What does God want to do through your life? Don’t be confused because it has nothing to do with your talent, gifts, wealth, status.

God will use you where you are. Most important is that you seek His will and bind Him to His promise.