The God Who Rebuilds - The Crosswalk Devotional - November 12
The God Who Rebuilds
By Emma Danzey
Nehemiah 4:6 says, “So we rebuilt the wall till all of it reached half its height, for the people worked with all their heart.”
So We Rebuilt the Wall
Is there rubble and brokenness around you somewhere in your life? The book of Nehemiah reminds us that the Lord redeems and rebuilds. We can often see destruction and discouragement in these moments; however, in God, we can always have hope that He can work things out for His glory.
In response to the opposition of what they were going to be doing for the name of God and out of recommitting their lives to Him, the Israelites faced a lot of mocking and hatred from others. Suddenly we read in verse 6 of Nehemiah 4 the word so. In other words, in response to these threats and persecution, the people of God rebuilt the wall. They did not allow the chastisement from the enemy to hold them back from fulfilling the will of the Lord to restore the broken.
In what area of your life do you feel the Lord is doing a new work of restoration but the enemy is mocking you and trying to get you down? The truth is that we have to take action with the help of the Holy Spirit to ignore the words of the opposer and to take steps of faith with Christ to accomplish rebuilding for His name.
Till All of it Reached Half Its Height
Half its height indicates that during this verse, the wall was not completed. Maybe you are in a season where you feel that God is not done with you or your loved ones or your ministry project. What I love is that the Lord is in the process. He is always working and providing meaningful lessons within the journey.
Even though you might feel that you are at half height right now, we can know with confidence that our Lord is the God who brings everything to completion. Philippians 1:6 says, “Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Jesus gives us salvation and then refines and molds us more into His image through the Holy Spirit. We are all on spiritual journeys. We know that we will not be completed on this side of heaven, but one day we will be fully whole with God forever. And that work is already happening now as we celebrate Hi forever presence with all who believe.
For the People Worked with All their Heart
I heard recently that obedience never leads to love, but love leads to obedience. When we encounter the love of Christ, it changes us. Our hearts become His, and we belong to Him forever. There is confidence and joy in being children of God. The Israelites knew how far they had fallen and how often they and their ancestors had rejected the Lord and run to idol worship. Because of His great redemptive love, they were motivated to work with all their hearts for Him. We, too, can have this kind of motivation. Christ cares so much for us, and He gives us strength to accomplish His kingdom work.
What are you working towards? Remember that the Lord needs to be an active part of your service to Him. Anything we do in our own efforts is in vain. We are to be resting in Him and delighting in Him to know His ways. As individuals, as families, and as communities, we are invited to work for God with all of our hearts. This removes the duty mindset and welcomes us to join in the work that Christ is already doing. It takes away our sense of pride or arrogance and humbles us that the Lord would include us in His plan. Jesus changes our hearts, and out of the work of the Holy Spirit, we can have clarity of direction as He calls us to rebuild.
Intersecting Faith and Life:
What is God rebuilding in your life or those around you right now? How has the voice of the enemy tried to get you down lately? How can you find joy in the process in the midst of the work? In what ways can you find delight in Jesus to work from a place of His love?
Further Reading:
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