Nehemiah 4:1-6 KJV
1 But it came to pass, that when Sanballat heard that we builded the wall, he was wroth, and took great indignation, and mocked the Jews. 2 And he spake before his brethren and the army of Samaria, and said, What do these feeble Jews? will they fortify themselves? will they sacrifice? will they make an end in a day? will they revive the stones out of the heaps of the rubbish which are burned? 3 Now Tobiah the Ammonite was by him, and he said, Even that which they build, if a fox go up, he shall even break down their stone wall. 4 Hear, O our God; for we are despised: and turn their reproach upon their own head, and give them for a prey in the land of captivity: 5 And cover not their iniquity, and let not their sin be blotted out from before thee: for they have provoked thee to anger before the builders. 6 So built we the wall; and all the wall was joined together unto the half thereof: for the people had a mind to work.
Whenever we do something against the norm or against the wishes of others, the first step to get us to stop is ridicule. Nehemiah experienced the same.
Sanballat and Tobiah both made condescending remarks to the Jews in an effort to get them to stop building the wall. Did Nehemiah allow that to stop them? No! He didn't even combat their ridicule by responding to them. Instead, he took the matter to God. He allowed God to fight back for him.
He took it to God, left it at His feet and then they continued with the work. They didn't dwell on what others thought of them. They knew what God had called them to do and they did it.
I'm ashamed to admit how many times I allow fear of man to stop me from doing God's work. I need to be more like Nehemiah-ignore man, take it to God, leave it there, and then get back to work.
How do you react when the world seems against you following God's commands?
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