It is an awesome thing to see Jesus build the Kingdom of Heaven. He brought the Kingdom to us (Matthew 4:17) and invited us to change directions and to embrace His work. The book of Nehemiah is loaded with principles which make a successful builder – from the inside out.
I heard an analogy once that a man spent his entire life dedicated to climbing a wall, but when he reached the top he realized it was the wrong wall.
That’s why the book of Nehemiah is important to me. I not only want to climb the right wall, I want to climb it the right way. Rebuilding the destroyed walls of Jerusalem was an unpleasant task. First there was the rubble. Then the mocking neighbors who had squatted there for 80 years (plenty of time to get comfortable). Fortunately God had moved to provide the resources – without which the job would have never been accomplished.
Added to this was the fact that Nehemiah worked together with Ezra and the people as a unit. They built together, guarded together, and prayed together. This is a big part of Kingdom building – intentional teamwork fueled by the purposes and presence of God!
“At whatever place you hear the sound of the trumpet, rally to us there. Our God will fight for us.” So we carried on the work with half of them holding spears from dawn until the stars appeared.” – Nehemiah 4:20-21
