Today’s Bible Verse

For they all were trying to make us afraid, saying, “Their hands will be weakened in the work, and it will not be done.” Now therefore, O God, strengthen my hands.

Nehemiah 6:9 (NKJV)

Strengthen My Hands for the Work

Nehemiah was answering the call of God on his life to rebuild the broken down walls of Jerusalem and its burned down gates.  In the process of getting close to completing the building project, three enemies pretending to be his friends conspired to harm and prevent Nehemiah from finishing the work of God that he had started. 

“Now it happened when Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the Arab, and the rest of our enemies heard that I had rebuilt the wall, and that there were no breaks left in it (though at that time I had not hung the doors in the gates), that Sanballat and Geshem sent to me, saying, ‘Come, let us meet together among the villages in the plain of Ono.’ But they thought to do me harm” (Nehemiah 6:1-2 NKJV).

Sanballat, Tobias, and Gesham conspired against Nehemiah and his builders but to no avail because of Nehemiah’s resolve to finish what he called the, “Great Work”, that had God entrusted into his care to carry out.  Nehemiah’s prayer was that the Lord would sustain him against these enemies by strengthening his hands to finish the work(v. 9).

“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 NKJV)

Nehemiah chose to not give in and get distracted, but to continue to depend on the Lord to strengthen his heart, which regulated his hands, for the assignment he was entrusted with by the Lord: to complete the building of the walls and finish by hanging the gates of the city. (Pastor Fika Esau)

An Uncommon Life

Like Nehemiah, many believers have been called by God and entrusted with an assignment to build the kingdom, their ministry, marriage, family, and even their health.  But as time goes by, Sanballat (distraction), Tobias (procrastination), and Geshem (indifference) comes along to stop them from building. These enemies don’t want the believers to build the walls (security in Christ) or hang the gates (authority of the believer) to be established and completed.  These enemies will not relent until they succeed.

But we need to be like Nehemiah and cry out to the Lord to “strengthen our hands” for the “great work“, stay on the wall, and keep focused so the building will be completed and God to be glorified.  

“So the wall was finished on the twenty-fifth day of Elul, in fifty-two days. And it happened, when all our enemies heard of it, and all the nations around us saw these things, that they were very disheartened in their own eyes; for they perceived that this work was done by our God” (Nehemiah 6:15-16 NKJV).

Praise God the wall was completed in record time (52 days!) and God was glorified in its completion! 

Today’s Declaration

Lord God, help me to be focused like a modern day Nehemiah and continue building Your kingdom, my ministry, my marriage, my family, my career and my health according to Your plans.  I will not allow the Sanballat, Tobias, and Geshem’s of this world to stop me, distract me, or discourage me.  I am focused.  Strengthen my hands, Lord, for this great work so I can glorify You with this completed assignment and a fruitful outcome. In Jesus’ mighty name! Amen. 

Today’s Bible Reading

• Old Testament: 2 Chronicles 6-7; Psalms 140
• New Testament: Luke 10:25-37; 1 Thessalonians 4:1-10