📖 Then I said to them, You see the bad situation we are in—how Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates are burned with fire. Come, let us build up the wall of Jerusalem, that we may no longer be a disgrace.
Then I told them of the hand of my God which was upon me for good, and also the words that the king had spoken to me. And they said, Let us rise up and build! So they strengthened their hands for the good work.
But when Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, and Geshem the Arab heard of it, they laughed us to scorn and despised us and said, What is this thing you are doing? Will you rebel against the king?
I answered them, The God of heaven will prosper us; therefore we His servants will arise and build, but you have no portion or right or memorial in Jerusalem.
—Nehemiah 2:17-20 AMPC
No matter how things may look, you can rebuild your life. It doesn’t matter what storms you might face. It doesn’t matter what obstacles you must overcome; God can make it better. Nehemiah had taken up the task of rebuilding the wall. There were people who ridiculed and criticized the project. There was the threat of people coming to destroy their efforts. Nehemiah knew that the Hand of God was with them. He knew that the God of Heaven would prosper and protect them. They would eventually rebuild the wall, and the people would recommit themselves to God and His Word. As impossible as things look, the first step must be to rise and build. You must get started. The lepers asked each other a question in II Kings chapter seven- “Why are we sitting here until we die”? (v3) You don’t have to be great to start, but you cannot be great until you get started. With God involved, it will be better than it was before.
#rebuild #HandofGod #vcccharlotte #devotional