Persian cupbearer, Jerusalem's rebuilder
Nehemiah
A palace servant heard his hometown was in ruins, and rebuilt its walls in fifty-two days.
Then said I unto them, Ye see the distress that we are in, how Jerusalem lieth waste, and the gates thereof are burned with fire: come, and let us build up the wall of Jerusalem, that we be no more a reproach. — Nehemiah 2:17
Nehemiah had a good job in the palace at Shushan when his brother came from Judah with news that the survivors there were in great affliction and Jerusalem's wall was broken down. He sat down and wept, and mourned and fasted and prayed for days. When he finally went before the king with a sad face, which was dangerous, he prayed a short prayer right there in the room before he answered, and the king gave him timber, letters, and leave to go. He rode out at night alone to survey the rubble before he told anyone his plan. Sanballat and Tobiah mocked, threatened, and tried four times to lure him off the wall to a meeting, and he sent back word that he was doing a great work and could not come down. The builders worked with a tool in one hand and a weapon in the other. The wall was finished in fifty and two days, and even their enemies could see the work had been done of God.
Why It Matters
Do not come down off the wall for every distraction that calls your name. Pray first, plan honestly, and keep working the thing God put in front of you.
One word, every week.
Scripture, reflection, and one thing to carry with you.
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