Seeds for 09/19/2024 - Nehemiah 4:7-9
Scripture:
7 But when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites and the people of Ashdod heard that the repairs to Jerusalem’s walls had gone ahead and that the gaps were being closed, they were very angry. 8 They all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and stir up trouble against it. 9 But we prayed to our God and posted a guard day and night to meet this threat.
Observation:
The Jews’ enemies are persistent. They seem to have decided that the restoration of Jerusalem and the flourishing of the Jews as a result is threatening to them. What is happening here?
For one, progress on a godly mission will provoke anger in those who stand against the flourishing of God’s people and/or the advancement of a godly project. They have a competing vision for what seems right to them and it entails the continued struggle and suffering of the Jews and the continued disrepair of Jerusalem.
The opponents’ anger at the Jews’ success is a theme of this section and we see it repeated here.
What I’d like to note briefly is the response of Nehemiah and the rest in verse 9: prayer and action. Their opponents plotted against them, “But we prayed to our God and posted a guard day and night to meet this threat.”
They didn’t act instead of praying or pray instead of acting, but bring prayer and action together in response. Armed with knowledge that Sanballat, Tobiah, and others are planning to come pick a fight with them, it’s no stretch that they should post guards. They use the brains God gave them and make a plan. However, in doing so they do not sideline prayer simply because this is such a clear step. Instead, prayer and action are joined together seamlessly. Both prayer and taking action are practical responses to this threat and they engage in both.
Application:
How can you remember to integrate prayer and action as you respond to the challenges you face?
What else might the Holy Spirit be speaking with you about in the text today?
Prayer: Lord, draw me always to prayer and prompt me to spring into faithful action. Amen.
“But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.” (Matthew 13:23)
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