Nehemiah 2:11-20 Some questions to process:
- What sticks out to you in these verses?
- What was the first thing Nehemiah did with the Jerusalem wall?
- What was his assessment of the wall?
- How did the workers respond to Nehemiah’s challenge?
Before Nehemiah got into actually rebuilding the Jerusalem wall, he had to do an assessment of the wall. He had to find out where the weak points were so he could hit those rough spots first. Once those weak areas were rebuilt and strengthened, the city of Jerusalem would be stronger and better equipped to defend herself.
As you can see from the map, the Jerusalem wall covered a lot of area. I am sure Nehemiah wasn’t able to do a quick, 10 minute assessment in which he could stick blue tape by each weak or destroyed wall for the builders to know what to do. He had to look at the structure of the area around it, look at what supplies would be needed to repair it and probably how many men it would take to repair each section.
Once he finished the assessment, he gathered support from the people and they began to rebuild the wall. Just as Nehemiah examined and assessed the Jerusalem wall, it is equally important for all of us (followers of Christ and ministers) to assess our walls to make sure we can be as strong for Christ as possible.
Encouragement:
I know it is not easy to look for weak or struggling areas in our lives or ministry. It can be a very humbling experience. But, as Peter points out in 1 Peter 5:5-6, when we humble ourselves, he will lift us up – “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.’ Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.” We need to humble ourselves before the Lord and ask Him for his guidance and his plan for how we can improve our lives and ministry.
After Nehemiah examined the walls, he devised a plan to strengthen them. The walls improved and was eventually rebuilt. When we ask the Lord to inspect our hearts and reveal to us what areas need improving, we can not expect God to repair those weak areas in our lives overnight. But if we seek God’s wisdom, devise a plan and stick to it, we will be successful in rebuilding our walls as well.
TAKE A MINUTE and pray that God would allow you to see the walls in your life that you can begin to repair and strengthen them so you can glorify Him with who you are in all that you do in your life and ministry.
Personal Application:
- Take an assessment of your personal life. What are some strong areas and weak areas in your life?
- Of the weak areas, what steps do you need to take to improve them?
- Take an assessment of your ministry. What are the 2-3 strong walls you have standing? What makes them solid?
- What are the 2-3 weak walls in your ministry? What can you do to improve them?