«And it happened, when all our enemies heard of it, and all the nations around us saw these things, that they were very disheartened in their own eyes; for they perceived that this work was done by our God» (Nehemiah 6:16).
No one was able to dissuade Nehemiah from his plan to rebuild the walls of the city. Had Nehemiah taken a wrong step, his positive influence would have been weakened and the work would have been left unfinished. Had he hidden in the temple as the corrupt prophet suggested, he would have gravely profaned the house of God, because he was not a priest (see Numbers 18:22) and he would have shown that he gave little importance to God’s command. There is a time to hide and a time to fight. God’s servants need to be extremely careful! Satan is constantly looking for opportunities to make them fall, to distract them, and to make them stray from the great mission that God has for them. «Repeated solicitations will come to call them from duty; but, like Nehemiah, they should steadfastly reply, ‘I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down.’ «—Prophets and Kings, ch. 55, p. 659.
There are people who give advice while having hidden agendas. Examine their recommendation to see if their words are consistent with the Bible. Nehemiah understood that the strange message to hide in the temple was not in harmony with the order to fight and finish the reconstruction work. «Whatever influence would tend to unsettle the faith of God’s people in His guiding power, should be steadfastly withstood.»—lbid., p. 660. Church leaders are continuously the target of attacks of all kinds. Let us pray for them to remain firm.
Eventually the wall was completed. Those who tried to intimidate and threaten the workers and Nehemiah showed their true motives in their bribery and their false accusations. Their fear of the Israelites became evident. The building and repairing of the city walls was completed in 52 days: «The completion of the wall in such a short time was so incredible to the enemies of the Jews that they considered it a miracle.»—SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 3, p. 419.
When men and women of God prayerfully and determinedly come together to do God’s work, they will achieve great ideals. Nehemiah ‘s wish and dream seemed so unattainable, so big, and so difficult when he was the king’s cupbearer, but with tenacity and persistence his dream became a beautiful reality. Every dream is like a seed; it is just waiting for the right time and the right circumstances to germinate and give fruit.
Place your dreams in God’s hands.
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Taken from: Devotional Thoughts for Women 2023
“DAUGHTER OF MINE” Do Not Be Afraid
From: Arsenia Fernandez-Uckele
Collaborators: Xiomara Perdomo & Angelica Cuate
