A Timeless Winning Strategy
So we rebuilt the wall till all of it reached half its height, for the people worked with all their heart. 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. They all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and stir up trouble against it. But we prayed to our God and posted a guard day and night to meet this threat. Nehemiah 4:6-9
Opposition to our dreams and visions is never a one-time thing. Letting down our guard because we have prevailed successfully in one battle is a definite recipe for future disaster. It is interesting to note that after Jesus had been tempted and opposed by the devil, the Bible records in Luke 4:13, "When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time." It is obvious that after failing in his attack on Jesus, the devil did not give up. He went away to lie in wait for another opportunity when he could come against Jesus. Opposition to our dreams and the efforts from detractors to derail our vision and dreams is never a one-time thing. We might as well say, it is a continuous part of life as long as we pursue and work out our dreams.
Nehemiah experienced this. Halfway through their rebuilding efforts, their opponents became very angry against them. Their detractors realized that the Jews were bent on accomplishing their goals, and so they plotted to fight the Jews and foment trouble in Jerusalem. This is the same strategy the devil uses all the time to destroy genuine God-given dreams. He uses people to fight against the visionaries and he uses people to cause trouble within the ranks of the people carrying out the vision.
Question: So, how do we handle those situations? Nehemiah tells us how. He had one winning strategy: Pray hard and Work Hard! This is a timeless winning strategy.
When he faced opposition at the start of implementing the vision, Nehemiah prayed to God, but he also worked hard together with the rest of the people.
In the middle of construction, when opposition became even fiercer, he used the same winning strategy: prayer and the necessary practical hard work. He prayed but he also posted guards day and night as a practical deterrent against the enemy.
When you encounter opposition against your vision, don't just pray. Pray by all means but also take stock of all the practical things that you may need to do to protect and secure the vision. Get divine wisdom to help you identify what "guards" you may need to post in your life. That is a timeless winning strategy.
Nehemiah experienced this. Halfway through their rebuilding efforts, their opponents became very angry against them. Their detractors realized that the Jews were bent on accomplishing their goals, and so they plotted to fight the Jews and foment trouble in Jerusalem. This is the same strategy the devil uses all the time to destroy genuine God-given dreams. He uses people to fight against the visionaries and he uses people to cause trouble within the ranks of the people carrying out the vision.
Question: So, how do we handle those situations? Nehemiah tells us how. He had one winning strategy: Pray hard and Work Hard! This is a timeless winning strategy.
When he faced opposition at the start of implementing the vision, Nehemiah prayed to God, but he also worked hard together with the rest of the people.
In the middle of construction, when opposition became even fiercer, he used the same winning strategy: prayer and the necessary practical hard work. He prayed but he also posted guards day and night as a practical deterrent against the enemy.
When you encounter opposition against your vision, don't just pray. Pray by all means but also take stock of all the practical things that you may need to do to protect and secure the vision. Get divine wisdom to help you identify what "guards" you may need to post in your life. That is a timeless winning strategy.
Prayer: Father, I thank you for the wisdom in your word. Amen.