Nehemiah: Persevere.

Read Nehemiah 4.

1. Up to this point everything seems to have been going well for Nehemiah with his plans to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. Now he faces jealous anger and ridicule from another leader who clearly feels threatened by what he is doing (vv. 1-3). Nehemiah’s first response is to pray and just keep going (vv. 4-6).

• What do you make of Nehemiah’s prayer (vv. 4-5)? Is that a good way to pray for people who oppose you? Why do you think Nehemiah prayed like this?

• Have you ever faced opposition when you tried to do something you felt God was calling you to do?

• How did you respond? 

• What practical strategies can we employ to help us to lean on God in the face of people or circumstances determined to undermine our confidence?

 
2. Now things get worse. Ridicule has turned to threats of violence (vv. 7-8), and the people working with Nehemiah are starting to get tired and discouraged, and to focus on the problems – in particular the ‘rubble’, that is, all the mess left over from the past (vv. 10,12). Nehemiah steps up his game by praying (again!) and posting a guard.

• Do you know what are the ‘low points’ – the ‘exposed places’ – in your own walls (v. 13)? Do you recognize vulnerabilities that you need to guard with extra care?

• Why do you think Nehemiah organized the guard by families? What does this suggest about how we best protect ourselves against discouragement and other trouble?

• What strategies can we use to help us to lean in to gather support when we need it?

• Nehemiah’s families had swords, spears and bows. What ‘weapons’ do we have? (See 2 Corinthians 10:4, Ephesians 6:17) 

 
3. Nehemiah tells the leaders three things (v. 14). One: ‘Don’t be afraid.’ Two: ‘Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome.’ Three: ‘Fight for your families…’ Nehemiah is giving his leaders a way to look up and find focus.

• What do we most need to remember about who God is when we are facing trouble? 

• What do we tend to forget?

• Nehemiah had a big task – to rebuild the walls of a whole city. So, why do you think he makes the main focus so small? (‘fight for your families, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes.’)

• Can you think of circumstances where we do need to pick up our spiritual weapons and come together to concentrate our prayers on the ‘big picture’? (vv. 19-20)