Nehemiah was a man in bondage.  He served in the court of the mighty King Artzxerxes, the most powerful ruler of the most powerful nation on earth.  The Jews knew full well the might and raw power of the Persians.  They knew the only hope for the restoration of their country lay in the power of God.

       Years of war with the Babylonians and the Persians had left Jerusalem, God’s holy city, in complete and utter ruin.  The gates had been burned with fire and the walls lay desolate in a huge pile of rubble. The name Jerusalem, which was a symbol of prosperity and the envy of the world under David and Solomon, had been reduced to a synonym for despair and defeat.  When Nehemiah heard the news of the condition of his beloved Jerusalem he sat down and wept.  Then he lay down before God, fasting and praying for God to restore the city.  God answered his prayer the way God often answers prayers of desperation.  He called Nehemiah to be the one to do something about the situation.  Nehemiah left the relative comfort and security of his position as the king’s cupbearer and led a rag tag, scared group to Jerusalem to face the formidable task of rebuilding the city and the walls.  After much opposition and after many obstacles had been overcome, the walls of Jerusalem once again ringed the city offering majestic protection against her enemies and establishing a measure of security and confidence for the people.  But more importantly, the raising of the walls of Jerusalem pointed to the glory of the God of Israel.

       In the summer of 2005, hurricane Katrina swept across the gulf coast leaving the city of New Orleans not much more than a pile of rubble.  The once proud city was reduced to a symbol of failed government policies, the entitlement mentality, and gross corruption and mismanagement.  Despair multiplied, eclipsing even the mounds of rubble as the people poured out of the city looking for places of hope. Darkness settled over the people who were left behind.  Some tried to find the light by throwing parties, depending on the response of the curious and the carnal to bring light and life back to their city. But their efforts amounted to little more than a candle in the wind or whistling past the graveyard.  Many in New Orleans realize their only hope of seeing their beloved city restored rests solely in the power of God.

       But there is another story to the New Orleans Katrina disaster that needs to be told.  I am writing this column sitting on a bus in the hardest hit area of the city..... the Ninth Ward.  Looking out the window, I can see row after row of colorful, clean, brand new houses that have been raised by an army of volunteers.  I am one of a team of ten students and two professors from North Greenville University who have joined well over 300 other students and professors who decided to spend their spring break, not relaxing in a resort, but raising hope in a place of despair.  Like Nehemiah, members of the Baptist Crossroads Rebuild Project have teamed up with Habitat for Humanity to do more than simply shake their heads in dismay over New Orleans.  They have answered the call to rise and rebuild a city and in doing so they are helping to restore the lost faith of the people.  Baptist Crossroads has committed to build 300 homes over the next five years.  With every blow of the hammer, nails go into wood joining walls together that are rising out of the rubble.  People who now have no place to call home will soon be able to join others who were devastated by the storm who are moving into brand new, three bedroom homes.