“So the wall was completed on the twenty-fifth of Elul, in fifty-two days.”
Nehemiah 6:15
After obtaining the king’s favor and approval for his journey to Jerusalem, Nehemiah knew that he had a very limited amount of time. He had to move quickly to rebuild the wall in a short period of time; he had just fifty-two days to meet his goal. Nehemiah prayed for every obstacle to be removed so that the goal could be achieved. He could not miss a single moment, and he worked night and day to achieve it. He didn’t collapse or weaken until he reached what he had determined to do. It was necessary for the people who were working alongside Nehemiah to maintain a good spirit and join him in his continuing work, even to the point of not changing their clothes or undressing but for bathing. Thus, everyone worked, and no one deviated from the vision.
This is a teaching that we too should follow – to pray so that all obstacles may be removed and for all the opposition to be taken away in order to achieve success in the end. It is helpful to establish programs of prayer and fasting for this purpose. Nehemiah was attacked by mockery, scorn, and accusation (Nehemiah 2:19); the enemy tried to bring discouragement to the leadership so that the work would stop and remain unfinished. The enemy also wanted to instill fear to remove the divine purpose, but as he could not, he tried to attack them through distractions in order to take them out of their duties. Nehemiah stood firm and said, “God will prosper.” This is how we ought to respond to the attacks of the enemy, “God will prosper, so we will arise and build His Kingdom on this earth.” When Nehemiah presented the situation they were in to the people of Jerusalem, he motivated them to work with all their strength in order to fulfill their goal. “You see the trouble we are in: Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned with fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and we will no longer be in disgrace” (Nehemiah 2:17). The only way to counteract this situation was by building a wall of protection so that all the disgrace was removed.
SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT
More than a century ago, a shoe company in England placed an ad to recruit salespeople for a new project, and from this campaign they selected two people. The first recruit was sent to South Africa, but at that time, nobody wore shoes so the man returned a few months later, disappointed, and lost his job. Then the company sent other man, whose attitude was better than the other salesman, but he still had to overcome many obstacles, for people were accustomed to walking barefoot. This man didn’t allow discouragement to stop him, and he sought to apply new strategies. So, he suggested a four-kilometer competition to the head of the tribe, knowing that there were some bumps in the road, such as stones and thorns. Obviously, the white man lost the race. The chief of the tribe said, “Our men are stronger and did not need those shoes; we won.” “Yes, but look at the feet of your men, and compare them with mine,” was the reply. The white man took advantage of this situation to sell the idea that they needed to have shoes; they would be a great protection for their feet. Then he gave a pair of shoes to the head of the tribe. People came closer, and the man gave them shoes. After two years, he began to sell shoes, and since they didn’t have cash to pay for them, they paid with stones they collected, most of them being diamonds. Among the diamonds given, he received the largest in the world, which then was kept at the Imperial Palace in England.
TODAY’S DECLARATION
“The God of heaven has entrusted me with a mission to diligently fulfill, and He will prosper.”
Today’s post is an excerpt from Pastor Cesar Castellanos’ book, Declarations of Power for 365 Days of the Year: Volume Three.
TODAY’S BIBLE READING
- Old Testament: Esther 5-6; Proverbs 16:17-33
- New Testament: Luke 20:1-8; Titus 3:9-15
