Resisting the attacks of the Enemy

God had given Nehemiah favour with the king, and so God provided the opportunity to make a dream come true: rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem. And Nehemiah proved to be a man of both vision and practical actions. While others were struck with hopelessness, Nehemiah on the spur of the moment prayed a very short and effective prayer (Nehemiah 2:4), and made a daring request of the king: a few years leave of absence from his work, a small army for protection, and free building materials to build the city wall of Jerusalem. And it was all granted within minutes.

But he also had mighty enemies. Enemies that were not discouraged even if God was with him. Enemies that did their best to stop he work God had given Nehemaiah to do.

Sanballat (his name means “Sin, the Moon God, gives victory") stood for occult power and false religions, Tobiah (“Jehovah is good”) stood for falsehood, as he was the very opposite of his name. And Geshem means ‘rain’, the worst circumstances for builders of a stone wall, was the third in this trinity of opposition.

Chapter six in Nehemiah is a record of the last, desperate attempts to stop God´s plan being fulfilled. The major weapon that was used against Nehemiah was fear. His enemies tried to create fear in him by means of threats on his life, through false accusations and rumours, and through men who gave false prophetic utterances. This all happened during a period of time when Nehemiah was so busy building that he didn’t have time to take off his clothes for nearly two months! Just imagine what pressure he was under!

What was Nehemiah’s line of defence? To stand firm, and to yield no ground. His enemies could not deflect him from his work, even for a moment. And so, after fifty two days of unceasing labour, the wall was complete.

What do we learn from this? ‘If God is for us, who can be against us!’ (Romans 8.31). Yes, they can make a lot of noise, they can spread many rumours, they can even use prophecies to try and prove their point. They can line up occult power, falsehood and circumstances. But one thing they can`t do, hurt a person who has made the Lord Most High his shield and his fortress.

Do you feel at times that you’re in a situation that resembles Nehemiah’s? Busy, overwhelmed, worn out? Nehemiah’s God is your God too. Your wall will be complete, your God-given dream will come true, nobody and nothing can stand against our God. Just check that you have everything in line with what He is saying, and then rely on him. Pray with Nehemiah: ‘Now, strengthen my hands!’ (Nehemiah 6:9).