Nehemiah and Sanballat

Nehemiah and Sanballat

Quiet Time

Nehemiah 4:1-6

Nehemiah and his fellow Jews had commenced to rebuild the walls. Sanballat observed the work and hurled insults at those hard at work. The crowning insult was that the walls were not built to sustain the weight of a fox. As these insults were flung, Nehemiah cried out to God.  At first reading, his prayer has the tone of an imprecatory prayer, but I think the intent of His heart was imploring God to fight for him (Wiersbe, Transformation Study Bible). God empowered them in the face of the naysayers and the wall was built to half its height. God meets us in our difficulty and intervenes according to His plan.

Prayer principle: Pray when naysayers come against you (or anything disruptive to His work) and let God fight for you.

What can I learn about God:  God is in the midst of my trouble to intervene according to His plan.

                                                      God seeks the welfare of His people, empowering them for His glory.

So What?  Many times the taunts, jeers, and opposition of God’s enemies often mean the God is preparing to pour out His blessing (Wiersbe, Transformation Study Bible).  During such times, we need to cling to the promises of God and call on His name – don’t back off.

                       In NT language, Paul would advise his readers to refuse to give Satan a foothold (Eph. 4:27). When we allow the words of his minions to derail us, we are giving foothold.  Our eyes and ears should be firmly attuned to His voice as recorded in Scripture.