Set a Watch and Pray

I love the Book of Nehemiah. There is so much we can learn from this man’s life and from his response to adversity and to his God. 

Think for a moment about what Nehemiah did. In human terms, it made no sense at all for him to leave his cushy job in the palace where he had all he wanted to go and live in the ruins of Jerusalem, facing hunger, hardship, opposition and real danger. Yet, he went because God moved him. 

I, too, need to go whenever and wherever God moves me, whether it makes sense in human terms or not, whether it will involve hardship and opposition or not.


Nehemiah's enemies "conspired all of them together to come and fight against Jerusalem, and to hinder it." (Neh. 4:8) Nehemiah's response was not to run and hide, or to complain about it. Verse 9 says, "Nevertheless..." (nevertheless - no matter what - no matter what the enemy throws at me ...) "we made our prayer unto our God." Nehemiah's immediate response to the opposition was to turn to the Lord for His help and protection. May it always be mine.


"...and set a watch..." We need also to "set a watch" over our hearts and lives, knowing that our enemy may attack at any moment, when we least expect it, just as Nehemiah's enemies conspired to do (v. 11).


Regardless of how the enemy chooses to attack, we need to heed Nehemiah's advice:


"Be ye not afraid of them: remember the Lord, which is great and terrible..."


Because Nehemiah trusted in the Lord, believing "our God shall fight for us" (v. 15), he did see victory and completed the task God had given him. God took care of the opposition and "brought all of their counsel to nought." "So the wall was finished in the twenty and fifth day of the month Elul, in fifty and two days." (Neh. 6:15).


Whatever "wall" God gives me to build, I pray He will strengthen my hands to the work as He did for Nehemiah, enable me to seek Him first in all things, including opposition and to see victory for His glory. Then, I will be able to rejoice in Him as Nehemiah and the remnant in Jerusalem did (Neh. 9.)...


"And they stood up in their place, and read in the book of the law of the LORD their God one fourth part of the day; and another fourth part they confessed, and worshipped the LORD their God...and cried with a loud voice unto the LORD their God....and...said, Stand up and bless the LORD your God for ever and ever: and blessed be thy glorious name, which is exalted above all blessing and praise. Thou, even thou, art LORD alone; thou hast made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth, and all things that are therein, the seas, and all that is therein, and thou preservest them all; and the host of heaven worshippeth thee."



Father, help me to set a continual watch and pray continually, relying on You for victory in all things, for Your glory.