If God is for us...

     As I tried to decide what to write about this week, I went to different sources searching for inspiration. However, I found myself going right back to the Word of God as I had been doing for some weeks straight. There is truly a lot that can be gleaned from God's Word.
    I am presently reading the book of Nehemiah. I am somewhat familiar with the general storyline. Nehemiah was living in captivity in Persia and he was the king’s cupbearer. Some years before, at least two groups of Jews had been allowed to return from exile to Jerusalem. Some rebuilding of the city had taken place but it was not complete. Nehemiah was allowed to return to Jerusalem with a third group of Jews. This time, they would focus on rebuilding its wall which had been destroyed.
    It should have been a joyous occasion, as the opportunity had been given to them to rebuild their city. However, opposition arose to discourage them and to stop the building process (Nehemiah 4). Did they stop? No! Instead, encouraged by Nehemiah, they put their trust in their God. Nehemiah knew what God had sent him to do and he was not going to stop now. So, rather than give in to discouragement, he used strategy to get the job done. They did not just work on the wall. He divided the people into groups. While some worked on the wall, others were equipped  with weapons for battle, ready in case anyone tried to stop them by force. Nehemiah also encouraged the people in the Lord whenever fear presented itself. At one point, he told the people, “Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, great and awesome and fight for your brethren, your sons, your daughters, your wives and your houses” (4:14). At another time, he encouraged them: “Our God will fight for us” (4:20). It did not happen overnight but in close to two months, the wall was finally completed. 
    A few things catch my attention with this account. One, the Jews were not doing anything wrong when they started work to rebuild their city. In fact, first king Cyrus of Persia, then King Artaxerxes I, gave them permission and support to work towards rebuilding their city. Sometimes, opposition is going to come our way whether we like it or not. You can be doing your best to serve God and to please Him, yet challenges come to stop you, to hinder you, to prevent you from fulfilling God’s plan and purpose for your life. In these seasons, it will be tempting to give up, to give in to the enemy’s attempt to make you live a defeated life. But, when you are serving the true and living God, nothing can truly stop God’s plan and purpose for you. Once you run to Him and trust Him, like Nehemiah did, He will give you good success.
    Second, Nehemiah used strategy to complete the task. He did not just trust God and do nothing, he trusted God and put a strategy in place to get the job done. Sometimes we too need to put things in place, do what we have to do to get the job done. Instead of focusing on the challenges that are before you, choose instead to focus on the God who is with you while you face that challenge. And that’s the thing. You are not alone! God is with you and once you make the choice to keep moving forward, to keep going, God will stand with you and help you carry out His will for your life. When you and God work as a team, nothing and no one can stop His purpose for you! 
    I also want to consider something else. In Nehemiah’s case, his opposition was people. In your case, your opposition may be challenges with your health - that sickness, disease, infirmity that seems to want to stop you from accomplishing God’s plan for your life. Or, your challenge may be your finances - that money and / or resources that you need to accomplish a particular dream. Whatever, your challenge is, it’s still about trusting God, maybe even putting strategies in place to get the job done. At the end of the day, your challenge is not too big for your God to handle. It may be overwhelming to you but it’s not overwhelming to God. So, just do what you have to do and trust Him. You are not alone!
    If you have not accepted Jesus Christ into your life as your personal Lord and Saviour, I encourage you to do so today. We can’t always avoid opposition and challenges when they come our way. Yet, our God is more than able to help us successfully navigate these challenges in order to accomplish his plan and purpose for our life.

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