As I have written here previously, I deal with and often struggle with focus issues. If you are around me for more than five minutes you can tell if I took my medicine that day, if it is working or if it has worn off. My mind goes what feels like 100 mph. Therefore, it is easy for me to be doing something and then….oh look squirrel. Therefore, it is something I have to pray about often, and have people keep me in check because I can do ministry as erratically as other parts of my life. That is why I find certain parts of Nehemiah and other parts of Scripture not only fascinating, but also so helpful. In today’s text, we are going to see Nehemiah stay focused despite attempted distractions.
The work on rebuilding the wall is underway and moving along. This only frustrates and angers Israel’s opponents. Therefore, they spring into action. Their first devious attempt is to distract Nehemiah. Nehemiah’s response is this, “So I sent messengers to them, saying, ‘I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down. Why should the work cease while I leave it and go down to you’ (Nehemiah 6:3)?” At first glance that response may seem rude or even arrogant. However, later in the chapter we read why Nehemiah refused to go down. It says that he “perceived that they wanted to do him harm” (Neh. 6:3), and that they were “trying to make us (Israel) afraid” (Neh. 6:9). How could Nehemiah have known that at the time? The answer is really found in what Nehemiah did starting in Nehemiah 6:10. Nehemiah prayed. What we learn about Nehemiah in the first six chapters of the book is that he is a man of prayer. Four of the nine recorded prayers in the book of Nehemiah are contained in the first six chapters of the book.
In a world that is full of distractions, the people of God must be known as people of prayer. While it is necessary and even encouraged in Scripture for us to pray about our needs, and for those in our families and others who are sick; this isn’t the type of prayer that I’m talking about. The prayer I am talking about is a prayer for wisdom and discernment. Would their have been anything wrong with Nehemiah leaving someone in charge, coming down off the wall, and going to the plain of Ono to talk with Sanballot and Tobiah? No, there wouldn’t have been anything wrong with it. Nehemiah wasn’t arrogant, he knew that God didn’t need him to do this work. Some of you might be thinking right now, if Nehemiah would have just gone down and talked to them, then maybe he could have convinced them to stop harassing Israel and things wouldn’t have escalated as much as they did. However, it is clear that Nehemiah had been talking to God, and God let Nehemiah know that these guys aren’t interested in talking, they just want to stop the work. One of the biggest reasons that we need to pray more is because our knowledge of a person or a situation is finite. We can only see and know, what we see and know. However, nothing is hidden from God. Therefore, when we ask for wisdom and discernment, we can trust that God is going to lead us in the right direction. This was a situation for Nehemiah in which there were two seemingly good choices. However, only one of them was the best choice. Where do you need discernment in your life right now? Is it in your time management? Your finances? Your marriage or family? Job situation? Ask the Lord! He has promised to give us wisdom when we ask (see James 1:5). Go ahead, spend some time asking the Lord for His wisdom to help you in what you are facing.
By His grace and for His glory,
Pastor Justin