You’re reading NEHEMIAH: LESSONS IN REBUILDING, by Eric Elder, featuring 15 inspiring devotionals based on one of the most ambitious rebuilding projects of all time. Also available in paperback and eBook formats in our bookstore for a donation of any size!

Scripture Reading: Nehemiah 2:10-16

There will come a time when it’s important to enlist the help of others to do all that God has called you to do. But there’s also a time when you need to talk to God, and God alone, about your project, letting Him help you to examine the situation at hand so you can take the next steps together.

Nehemiah reached this point when he arrived in Jerusalem.  There were already a couple of people who had heard about what he wanted to do, and they weren’t happy about it.  Nehemiah says:

“When Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite official heard about this, they were very much disturbed that someone had come to promote the welfare of the Israelites” (Nehemiah 2:10).

So Nehemiah took his next steps alone.  He had heard about the condition of the walls surrounding Jerusalem from others, but now was the time for him to see the site for himself.  He went at night, taking with him only a few trusted friends.  Here’s how Nehemiah describes it as chapter 2 continues:

“I went to Jerusalem, and after staying there three days I set out during the night with a few men. I had not told anyone what my God had put in my heart to do for Jerusalem. There were no mounts with me except the one I was riding on. 

“By night I went out through the Valley Gate toward the Jackal Well and the Dung Gate, examining the walls of Jerusalem, which had been broken down, and its gates, which had been destroyed by fire. Then I moved on toward the Fountain Gate and the King’s Pool, but there was not enough room for my mount to get through; so I went up the valley by night, examining the wall. Finally, I turned back and reentered through the Valley Gate. The officials did not know where I had gone or what I was doing, because as yet I had said nothing to the Jews or the priests or nobles or officials or any others who would be doing the work” (Nehemiah 2:11-16).

As important as it would soon be for Nehemiah to tell others about his plans, it was also important that he see for himself the extent of the work involved beforehand.  So Nehemiah examined the situation, looking over his project from one end to the other and getting a good grasp of what needed to be done.

I remember hearing about a couple who had gotten a divorce.  God put it in my heart to pray that they would be reconciled.  But as I talked to others, I heard something totally different:  their family didn’t want them to be reconciled, their friends didn’t want them to be reconciled, and neither the husband nor wife wanted to be reconciled!

I had to go back to God and listen carefully to what He wanted me to do for them, which was to continue to pray for their reconciliation.  So I kept up with what God had put in my heart to do until one day, to the shock of their family and friends, and even to themselves, they were finally reconciled and remarried to each other once again.  (If you’d like to hear more of their story, you can watch it on The Ranch website at www.theranch.org.  In the Stories section, click on the title “It’s Never Too Late.”)

The time will come when it’s wise and critical to involve others.  But there are also times when you need to spend time with God, and God alone, as you honestly examine the situation.

It could be easy to get discouraged at this point, with so much to do and with others possibly opposing your efforts.  But I’d like to point you back to something Nehemiah said as he set out to examine the situation in front of him.  He wrote:

“I had not told anyone what my God had put in my heart to do for Jerusalem” (Nehemiah 2:12b).

Nehemiah knew that rebuilding the walls wasn’t just a good idea, it was God’s idea―an idea that God had put in his heart.  Let God encourage you today as you carefully examine the situation at hand.  Let Him show you what needs to be done next.  Then trust Him to walk beside you as you move forward, every step of the way.

Prayer: Father, I come to You today to ask for Your help as I examine the situation in front of me.  Let me see the full scope of what needs to be done so I can know what to do next.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.