DARK AND LONELY NIGHTS

3 AM, I lay in the hospital bed, waiting for the nurse to interrupt with a visit for a blood pressure check, respiratory treatment, or blood sugar check. It is a very lonely time.

3 AM, I lay in the hospital bed, waiting for the nurse to interrupt with a visit for a blood pressure check, respiratory treatment, or blood sugar check. It is a very lonely time. I do not know if the readings from my last blood tests are improving.  Or are the numbers climbing even higher, causing my stay in the hospital to be prolonged? At that moment I feel alone. All the encouraging comments like “It’ll be alright Bill” or “You’ll be out of here in no time” ring hollow. The darkness of the silent hospital room consumes me with thoughts of despair and doubt.

I CANNOT SEE A WAY OUT

My faith is tested, and I cannot see a way out.  I feel shame. After all, I was the preacher who for the last 30 years told others: “All things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose”. Do I believe this? Is any of this working out?

GLIMPSES INTO THE REASON FOR THE HOSPITAL BED

Then God begins to show me glimpses into why He is allowing this crisis to come upon my life. He starts to turn this period of self-doubt and discouragement into a time of hope and purpose. As I lay there feeling lonely and cast aside, a young nurse comes into the room ready to take my vitals. I initiate a conversation which turns into a lengthy talk regarding her Vietnamese mother and spirit worship. She tells me about how her mother worships the dead. She does not necessarily agree with her mom but does not know anything wrong with it. The Holy Spirit and my training in evangelism kick in. I begin to explain to her how Jesus is the only Savior any of us needs. He forgives sins no matter what we have done. A great conversation for a long, lonely night!

The next day, at about the same time early in the morning, I have another discussion with the head nurse (she also came to extract blood – a team sport!) We end up having a long conversation about her family and how God seems to be missing. Again, I share with her the hope of salvation and what Jesus means in my life. God is speaking to me and this dumb fool (Patient Bill) listens to Him. He shows just what His purpose is, and He wants to bring glory to Himself.

NOT ALONE!

Many nights I spent in the hospital wondering what was going to happen to me and how I fit into His overall plan. Finally, I realized that feeling lonely meant I was only thinking about myself. I wasn’t alone. The God of the Universe was right there, listening to me, watching everything I did, and prompting me into conversations with the people around me.

David reminds me: “I will lift up my eyes to the hills- where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth.” (Psalm 121:1-2) My help comes from the Lord, not from those surrounding me. God beckons me to get me eyes off myself and my own situation regardless of how lonely and dark the nights are.

LET GOD USE EVEN THE DARK AND LONELY NIGHTS

Whenever you feel lonely, remember the Eternal One Who stands right beside you, regardless of the circumstances. Do not take as long as I did to realize that the situation might not be all about oneself, but about those surrounding us who need to know about the Maker of Heaven and earth. Let God use even the dark and lonely nights.

  • Note from Jacqui: This is the first completely new devotional which Bill has been able to write since his first hospitalization on November 25, 2025. Recovery has been very slow, but we want to thank those of you who have been praying for us, encouraged us, and have been asking God to use all of this for His glory.

Click for further reading regarding Romans 8:28

HOW TO BE UNOFFENDABLE

I have an amazing gift. In the middle of the night I can wake up and fully review the latest pain of the day.

WEEK #2

I have an amazing gift. In the middle of the night I can wake up and fully review the latest pain of the day. I then compose an entire plan in my head how I propose to respond to what hurt me. Wait! Did I say this is a gift? No, it is a curse. I lose a lot of sleep functioning this way.

INSOMNIA

AI says this insomnia can “cause significant mental, physical, and functional impairments, ranging from short-term fatigue and irritability to chronic, serious health conditions. Key effects include accidents.”  Did I include that I am accident prone?

THE TOXIC BREW

I use the excuse “This is the way I am wired.” In Week #1 of this series I referenced the book “Unoffendable“. Brant Hansen observes, “But regardless of how we feel, we can actually have a choice on how we respond. It doesn’t mean that we ignore the situation, but we can act without contempt, anger and bitterness.” Brant also admits, “I have lost a lot of sleep with anger and bitterness. I drank that toxic brew, and it percolates within me.”

MY EXCUSE

Life seems so much easier if I allow myself the excuse: “This is just the way I am wired.” However, God tells us to put down the mug of toxic brew. It should not be percolating in the middle of the night.

There are too many good and healthy paths my Shepherd wants to travel with me. “Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for him to act. Don’t worry about evil people who prosper or fret about their wicked schemes. Stop being angry! Turn from your rage! Do not lose your temper—it only leads to harm.” (Psalm 37:7-8)

Lord, help me to turn to Your paths…even in the middle of the night!

SMALL GOD VERSUS HUGE GOD

She daily prays to her ancestors, especially to the ashes of her mom. The ashes fit conveniently in the small box in the household shrine. Her god is small.

Does the God you serve also fit in a box or is He the One described and celebrated in Nehemiah? It is easy to compact God into a convenient container of our own making.

WORLD HISTORY FROM GOD’S POINT OF VIEW

One of the most beautiful prayers in the Bible is Nehemiah 9. Read the chapter and underline everything you learn about Who God is. Take your time with this. World history is seen from God’s point of view. How many times is the pronoun “you” (in reference to God)? God does not fit into a tiny comfortable box. He is limitless.

Nehemiah chapter seven illustrated that building the exterior walls around the city of Jerusalem was not sufficient to secure the Jews’ future. In further chapters, the number of bodies inhabiting the city does not indicate the number of hearts given to God.

HEARTS DON’T CHANGE WITH A SMALL GOD

Consider a large church building with an excellent security system. It does not guarantee what size God fills parishioners’ hearts. Packing the building with hundreds of people only demonstrates occupancy. Hearts do not change if individuals believe in a small God.

3 EFFECTS OF A SMALL VIEW OF GOD

Read Nehemiah 10:28-39. Notice the three major effects the acknowledgment of God’s size makes on the Jewish people. First, they promise to “not give our daughters in marriage to the peoples around us or to take their daughters for our sons.” In context, the Jews restarted their lives from scratch after exile. Life for the refugees was hard. They longed for economic security. Making family ties with business clans helped families get ahead. Resorting to their own devices, Jewish fathers resorted to arranging marriages with unbelieving families in hopes of establishing prosperity. Regarding the scale of how big the fathers viewed God, their God is tiny and weak. They can’t trust Him to take care of their physical needs, so they resort to their own devices.

Next addressed is the issue of doing business on the Sabbath. Working seven days a week helps pay bills a struggling family’s bills. However, this view of God and the Sabbath demonstrates the belief that He is not to be trusted to take care of financial needs. The Jews neglected the one day of the week in which they are commanded to dedicate to worshipping a Huge God.

Last addressed, where is the money going from all these endeavors? Times are hard. People neglect giving God the first part of their income. They look in the cupboards, see how barren they are, and decide their needs came first. However, faith demonstrated is first giving to God; giving to Him the best, and trusting Him to take care of their needs. This recognizes the immense, vast and colossal God. He is forgiving, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love. He hears, He delivers.

WHO CAN EXPLAIN GOD?

“Is there anyone around who can explain God? Anyone smart enough to tell him what to do? Anyone who has done him such a huge favor that God has to ask his advice? Everything comes from him; Everything happens through him; Everything ends up in him. Always glory! Always praise! Yes, yes, yes!” (Romans 11:34-36). What size God do you serve? Is He tiny and convenient or the One True God described in Nehemiah 9?

HOW TO BE UNOFFENDABLE

The longer I live as a believer, the more I realize my Christian life is full of holes. I’m Swiss Cheese, when I should be a block of Cheddar.

WEEK #1

The longer I live as a believer, the more I realize my Christian life is full of holes. I’m Swiss Cheese, when I should be a block of Cheddar. This is especially evident when I am tired. With Bill’s illness I exist continually exhausted. One evidence of this is how easily I become offended.

LIVING LIKE THIS STEALS ENERGY

My emotions run into a sprint when people ignore our situation or say clueless remarks. What about when someone zooms first into the parking space closer to the clinic doors and my husband can barely walk from the car? Yes, I ratchet up the offense meter awfully fast. Living like this steals a lot of energy.

GENUSES AT OBSERVING OTHERS

I asked God for help. That’s when I came across the book “Unoffendable: How Just One Change Can Make All of Life Better” by Brant Hansen. Brant writes: “We want to think people are worse than us. It’s one of our favorite pastimes. Go to a mall food court, sit down, and listen to the conversations around you. Compare how often people are telling stories about hurtful, wrong things other people did, versus confessing hurtful, wrong things they, themselves, have done. We’re brilliant at this. Geniuses, really.”

HOMEWORK WEEK #1

Homework for Week #1: Daily, note the negative things you hear people say about one another and the negative things which spew out of your own mouth. Take a notebook and write down ten positive things each day you have notice about that day and confess to God the toxins you contributed to the sound waves around you. Let me know your observations.

And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. (Philippians 4:8)

SPRING IN THE MIDDLE OF WINTER

A deep groaning rose from the hearts of hundreds so caught up with living that they had journeyed far from the Word of God.

The grounds around Sunrise Church were packed on sunrise January 1st. An extraordinary outdoor meeting with absolutely no coffee and donuts available and no lawn chairs provided. Men, women, and children old enough to understand the gravity of the situation attended. A miracle was going to take place in the middle of winter.

ALL KNELT AND WORSHIPPED

Old Paster Ezra stood on a platform above the expectant crowd. All cell phones turned off, no chatter heard, the crowd was silent. Ezra praised God. Everyone lifted their hands and thundered, “Amen! Amen!” Then all bowed down on the cold frosty ground and worshiped God. Not a comfortable position in the middle of winter!

HOUR AFTER HOUR THE WORD WAS READ

Rising again, the people stood at attention. Hour after hour Ezra read aloud from his Bible, beginning with the Gospels. He transitioned to Acts, Romans, and the rest of the New Testament. Thirteen men roamed around huge crowd, helping explain the Scriptures. The cold winds howled as hearts began to respond.

BREAKING SPIRITUAL STRONGHOLDS

Hearing the Word began to break spiritual strongholds. “For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account” (Hebrews 4:12-13) Open heart surgery was performed as the Word of God convicted and penetrated. Tears streamed down the faces of many. A deep groaning rose from the hearts of hundreds so caught up with living that they had journeyed far from the Word of God. Sins acknowledged, relationships healed, and hearts made right. Spirits were renewed. Joy sprang up. They truly heard from God amidst a winter of frozen hearts.

HEARTS DEFROSTED

And thus began the revival of Sunrise Church. Finally, they gave God their full attention and responded with repentance and obedience. Life was never the same for those who rose before dawn that frosty morning. The warmth of Spring defrosted their once wintry hearts. This is a modern-day retelling of the miracle of Nehemiah 8:1-18.

THE PRESCRIPTION

Is your heart cold or lukewarm, at best, toward God? I have a prescription for you. Choose a day, any day, and at the beginning of it turn off all distractions. Make a choice to fast for that day; only take sips of water. Begin with rejoicing on Who God is with your face flat to the ground. Ask Himself to show Himself in His Word. Open His book and read slowly and carefully. Write down what especially grabs your attention and what you need to get right with God.

“WOE IS ME” COMES BEFORE “HERE AM I”

The proclamation “Here am I, send me” in Isaiah never took place before Isaiah declared, “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!” Ask the Holy Spirit to convict, instruct, and propel you to live a life which brings praise to God. This will rock your world, as it did both Sunrise Church and the congregation in Nehemiah 8. Out of your frozen heart can spring the glorious blooms of Spring.

Navigating Life’s Maelstrom: Finding Peace in Turmoil

Afraid of more bloodwork, bad tests, bad news. Afraid we won’t have the strength to endure. I run with a continual sense of exhaustion.

Slowly ponder Romans 8:38-39

Edgar Allan Poe described a gigantic circular vortex that reaches the bottom of the ocean in his short story “A Descent into the Maelström“. This tale this story relates to the Lofoten Maelstrom, as two fishermen are swallowed by the vortex.

A GRINDING STREAM OF LIFE’S TROUBLES

What words would I choose to describe the journey we have been traveling since November 25, 2025? The word “maelstrom” isn’t in the Bible, but it’s used in Christian contexts to describe intense spiritual or emotional turmoil, like a powerful whirlpool, symbolizing confusion, crisis, or being overwhelmed. It represents the “grinding stream” of life’s troubles; a vortex of massive force which threatens to obliterate.

SWIRLING IN THE STREAM

Our entrance into the maelstrom began with Bill’s first admission to the hospital the Tuesday before Thanksgiving 2025. I distinctly recall the first time the doctor said the words “fluid surrounding the heart and lungs; congestive heart failure”. Then our reactions when another specialist said, “kidney failure”, “will probably have to go on emergency dialysis”. As we swirled in the grinding stream, there was Thanksgiving spent in the hospital and Christmas which was not celebrated due a further hospitalization. Then there were the long nights between and after hospital stays when I put my hand on Bill’s chest just to make sure he was still breathing.

Lots of possibilities for fear, especially when one specialist gives a diagnosis and another one contradicts it. So many unknowns in this grinding stream. Since the beginning of this, Bill has lost 1/6th of his body weight and his blood pressure still zooms over the map. Getting food into him is a struggle since his ongoing trouble with swallowing and gagging beginning with the 2nd hospitalization. Every day we battle exhaustion.

BATTLING FEAR

Yes, I daily encounter fear. This past Friday we had an appointment with the cardiologist certain she was going to admit him yet again to the hospital. Afraid of more bloodwork, bad tests, bad news. Afraid we won’t have the strength to endure. I run with a continual sense of exhaustion.

LAYING MY FEARS

Amid the maelstrom, our boat circles the vortex, and that’s when I continue to choose to lay my fears before God. My Father knows us and loves us, even though by far I flunk the superwoman test. Fear continually tugs at the ragged edges of my soul.

CHOOSING TO SUBMIT

In the path of obedience, I choose to submit. I cannot handle any of this without the Comforter, the Holy Spirit. Only He can cast out my fears. And so I go to sleep each night knowing that tomorrow is another day and even in the grinding stream, He promises to be sufficient to keep me on course. We are those two fishermen caught in the current. He has not forgotten us. He is my Love, my Light, my Joy.

Nehemiah’s Prayer: A Powerful Defense Against Spiritual Warfare

When Nehemiah saw the need, he prayed for four months. God planned to use him to set right a 100-year-old problem.

Read: Nehemiah 6

Why do we so frequently hear the phrase “Let’s have a quick word of prayer”? Did you know when Nehemiah saw the need, he prayed for four months? God planned to use him to set right a 100-year-old problem. Nehemiah worked longer in prayer than the time needed to complete the wall around Jerusalem. The enemy loomed on the horizon. Think carefully about choosing the size of your prayer, especially when it is a brutal onslaught. Prayer is your both your largest defense and greatest weapon against the one who wants to destroy you.

SPIRITUAL WHACK-A-MOLE

Nehemiah’s construction project is targeted by major spiritual warfare. The battle to rebuild the wall is not over as it nears completion. Conspiracy after conspiracy arise against Nehemiah. It is spiritual “whack-a-mole”; one problem remedied only for another to pop up elsewhere.

SATAN’S PLAN

Satan’s age-old plan is to defeat Christians. If Satan can discredit them, divide, and discourage them, he can create havoc using the strategies he used during Nehemiah’s time. When you’re hungry, angry, lonely, or tired, be very watchful, because it’s in those seasons that the enemy plays especially dirty.

NEHEMIAH’S DEFENSE

What is Nehemiah’s response to the spiritual and mental attacks from Sanballat and friends? David Guzik observes: “Nehemiah did not mount an elaborate defense, trying to prove Sanballat wrong point by point. He wasn’t going to waste his time. You don’t satisfy men like Sanballat with facts, explanations, and evidence. Nehemiah replied by calmly and straightforwardly telling Sanballat that he was a liar, and by carrying on with the work.” We can choose to carry on and refuse fear.

NO STOPPING NEHEMIAH

More than four times the ungodly trio of Sanballat, Geshem and Geshem plot against Nehemiah. The final gates around Jerusalem are not yet in place. The evil think tank attempt to set up an out-of-town meeting with Nehemiah in order to harm him. Nehemiah replies, “I am engaged in an important work, and I am unable to come down. Why should the work come to a halt when I leave it to come down to you?” Nehemiah chooses not to stop.

Then an evil letter arrives from the hand of Sanballat. An open letter (an op-ed) is to be sent to the King of Persia accusing Nehemiah of leading a revolt against Persia. Without a beat, Nehemiah replies, “We are not engaged in these activities you are describing. All of this is a figment of your imagination.” Nehemiah observes the heart of the enemy, “All of them wantto scare us, supposing, ‘Their hands will grow slack from the work, and it won’t get done.’”

MORTAR THAT REBUILDS STRONG WALLS

Don’t miss how Nehemiah handles opposition. He didn’t drop his tools; he dropped to his knees and prayed “strengthen my hands.” Nehemiah knows he is vulnerable, tired, and must be discerning in who to trust. “The mortar that causes the rebuilt walls to stand is a deep prayer life reflecting dependance and faith in God. Pull out the mortar and the walls would fall.” No prayer = no walls. Nehemiah’s prayer life runs deep.

Yet despite all this horrendous opposition from Satan and his tools, Nehemiah stays on task. “So, the wall was completed…. When all our enemies heard and all the nations who were around us saw this, they were greatly disheartened. They knew that this work had been accomplished with the help of our God.

WHERE TO FOCUS

Dear friend, Satan wants to destroy you. He wants to destroy your name and everything about you. He wants to win at spiritual whack-a-mole. David Platt advises: “Keep your focus on God and on the work he has called you to do. Let Him, God alone, be your focus instead of the enemy’s distractions and your encouragement instead of the enemy’s discouragement. Let Him be your joy and hope and peace and life instead of the enemy’s attempts to destroy you in whatever way he can.” Don’t just have a quick word in prayer. Dive into prayer – it is your biggest weapon against the one who wants to destroy you.

Memorize: Ephesians 6:10-20.

Generosity vs Greed: A Spiritual Reflection

We thought Marge was sharing her bounty, but Marge was making a buck.

“Do you like cantaloupes?” asked Marge. With big smiles, we replied, “We love cantaloupes!” Marge promptly produced two and said, “That will be $6.” This interaction was not at her fruit stand, but in shaking hands as our congregation exited the church doors. We thought Marge was sharing her bounty, but Marge was making a buck.

MAKING A BUCK IN HARD TIMES

In Nehemiah 5, there are wealthy people taking advantage their own Jewish brothers during hard times. Many people returned to the Holy Land from exile with little extra money. In the previous chapter, Satan attacked the Jews from the outside, now he attacks within their ranks. Greed runs rampant among God’s people to the point that resentment explodes when making a buck replaces caring for each other.

THE GREAT OUTCRY

“There was a great outcry from the people and their wives against their fellow Jews. ‘We must obtain] grain in order to eat and stay alive…We are putting up our fields, our vineyards, and our houses as collateral in order to obtain grain during the famine…We have borrowed money to pay our taxes to the king on our fields and our vineyards… Some of our daughters have been subjected to slavery, while we are powerless to help, since our fields and vineyards now belong to other people.’” Satan turns brother against brother. Greed eats away at the fabric of the nation.

GREED OFFENDS GOD

While working on rebuilding the city walls the people demonstrated tremendous unity. That collaboration and cooperation has now evaporated. Nehemiah is outraged what brother is doing to brother for the sake of a buck. Greed offends God.

WHAT THEY OWNED WAS NOT THEIR OWN

God always takes offense at an ungenerous heart. Satan has a field day. In the early Christian Church, displaying open generosity was a work of the Holy Spirit. “All the believers were united in heart and mind. And they felt that what they owned was not their own, so they shared everything they had…There were no needy people among them, because those who owned land or houses would sell them and bring the money to the apostles to give to those in need. (Acts 4:32-35) Generosity is an attribute of God.

GLORY OF GOD IN THE BACK OF A TRUCK

During summers at GCC one often sees a truck parked outside the church doors after a morning service. In the back of it is the harvest of a farmer’s gardens. He brings bags and encourages people to freely fill them with what they can use in their kitchens. His generous steward’s heart freely displays God’s generosity. The glory of God can be seen in that truck.

RULE FOR GENEROSITY

What is a good rule of thumb for generosity? C.S. Lewis wrote: “I do not believe one can settle how much we ought to give. I am afraid the only safe rule is to give more than we can spare. In other words, if our expenditure on comforts, luxuries, amusements, etc., is up to the standard common among those with the same income as our own, we are probably giving away too little. If our giving does not at all pinch or hamper us, I should say it is too small. There ought to be things we should like to do and cannot do because our charitable expenditure excludes them.”

My bounty isn’t really mine. I am just a steward of it. Marge’s cantaloupes, the money held back by Nehemiah’s countrymen, and the GCC farmer’s produce all belong to God. Joy begins when we demonstrate the glory of God through generous hearts.

Click to read more on generosity.

Past Wounds Shape Our View of God

All wounds affect us.  They cause fear that seeps into our relationships, especially our relationship with God.

Last Summer our family visited Florida, and we stopped at a sea turtle hospital.  I became enthralled with sea turtles as I listened to the staff describe in detail how these huge creatures nest.  At night, a turtle mom laboriously crawls, dragging her heavy clumsy body through the dry sand for long distances to find the perfect nesting spot.   She is sensitive to dangers that threaten her hatchlings when they emerge.  If she senses danger, she may spend the night in a “false crawl”, opting to return to the sea, exhausted, without laying her eggs.  Something as harmless as a beach chair can scare her away from an otherwise perfect nesting spot. It seems silly to us, but she sees her fears as real. They dictate her behavior.

ALL WOUNDS AFFECT US

What fears do I have and how they affect my behavior in my relationship with God?  Living in a fallen world as imperfect people, we are all wounded in human relationships. Some wounds are big and obvious; others are small and get brushed aside easily. All wounds affect us.  They cause fear that seeps into our relationships, especially our relationship with God.

HOW WE PERCEIVE GOD’S LOVE

It is easy to project the imperfect ways we experience love on earth on how we perceive God’s love for us.  In our earthly relationships we may experience apathy, contempt, anger, criticism, neglect, emotional or physical abandonment.  Based on our life experiences, deep down we expect God to react with similar behavior when we relate to Him.  This can make us fearful to approach or spend time with God.  It affects our level of trust and intimacy with Him and dictates our own behavior.

DICTATED BY FEAR

In the Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30), one servant was afraid of the master’s punishment. He hid his talent and did not put it to work.  The servant’s fear of the master’s reaction to anything other than perfection paralyzed him.  His behavior was dictated by fear.

NOT DICTATED BY FEAR

Thankfully, God’s love for us is vastly different than anything we can experience on earth.  He loves imperfect people perfectly.  We are chosen, cherished and adored children of God.  He yearns to spend time with us, to be intimately involved in a relationship with us, no matter how imperfect we are.  “God is perfect and far more lovingly powerful than even out greatest fears. Fear does not have to dictate our behavior toward God.” (Lou Giglio)

NO FEAR IN LOVE

“There is no fear in love [dread does not exist]. But perfect (complete, full-grown) love drives out fear, because fear involves [the expectation of divine] punishment, so the one who is afraid [of God’s judgment] is not perfected in love [has not grown into a sufficient understanding of God’s love].” (I John 4:18 AMP)

What deep heart fears do you have from past experiences?  How are they affecting your perception of God’s love for you?  In what manner does your heart expect Him to react to you when you come to Him?

We do not have to stay stuck with fear dictating our behavior like the sea turtle. We can grow in our understanding of God’s perfect love for us. Ask Him to help and seek other Christians to be part of your journey closer to God and away from fear.

Prayer: Father, we struggle to wrap our minds around how deeply and perfectly You love us.  Please transform our understanding of the joy you find in a relationship with each of us and of how trustworthy You are.  Heal the wounds we have sustained in earthly relationships.  Lead us closer and closer to You every day as we show up and soak in Your presence. Amen.

Nehemiah 4: Overcoming Adversity through Prayer

We stand tallest and strongest on our knees

Nehemiah 4 records a critical part of the game which can turn on the head of a dime. The completion of the massive project of rebuilding the walls around the city of Jerusalem is close to 50%. Work has progressed at least twenty days and the results are phenomenal. Concurrently, tons of debris are disposed of while walls are going up. Chapter 3 mentions the words “next to” 16 times. This is a massive joint effort from relative strangers working next to each other after returning from years in exile. And just when victory is rising on the horizon, the enemy shows up in full battle gear.

A PSYCHOLOGICAL AND SPIRITUAL ATTACK

Sanballat is Nehemiah’s nemesis. The powerful Persian-appointed governor of Samaria appears loudly on the scene. Sanballat furiously opposes rebuilding Jerusalem’s walls. A strong Jerusalem is a major threat to his powerbase. He pulls every trick in the book, including mockery, threats, and plots to disrupt the Jewish workers.  The enemy launches a powerful psychological and spiritual attack.

WORDS FROM THE PIT OF HELL

Enraged and furious, Sanballat publicly ridicules the Jews. “What does this bunch of poor, feeble Jews think they’re doing? Do they think they can build the wall in a single day by just offering a few sacrifices? Do they actually think they can make something of stones from a rubbish heap—and charred ones at that?” Sidekick Tobiah gleefully adds, “That stone wall would collapse if even a fox walked along the top of it!”. Words penned from the pit of hell.

WE STAND STRONGEST ON OUR KNEES

How does Nehemiah respond? He immediately runs to God. Nehemiah realizes that this battle is not his; it is God’s. Only God can handle Satan. Charles Stanley notes, “We stand tallest and strongest on our knees.”

God responds by giving the Jews new vigor. “At last the wall was completed to half its height around the entire city, for the people worked with enthusiasm.” End of drama? No! Sanballat and company “all made plans to come and fight against Jerusalem and throw us into confusion.” The enemy loves to frighten and confuse us.

NO HOPE OF ANYTHING GETTING BETTER

Notice the response from the Jewish people this time: “But WE prayed to our God and guarded the city day and night to protect ourselves.” Prayer catches on at a crucial moment as a blanket of discouragement settles down on Jerusalem’s exhausted workers. “Then the people of Judah began to complain, ‘The workers are getting tired, and there is so much rubble to be moved. We will never be able to build the wall by ourselves.’.. The Jews who lived near the enemy came and told us again and again, ‘They will come from all directions and attack us!’” Sounds like the hopeless worldview of Winnie the Pooh’s friend Eeyore: “End of the road. Nothing to do. And no hope of things getting better.” Satan prepares for a victory lap.

WHEN VICTORY BLOSSOMS

The workers only see obstacles rather than the goal. This is the moment when God can shine the greatest. Yes, they will never be able to build the wall by themselves. Victory blossoms when we come to an end of ourselves, our own strengths, talents and abilities and admit it to God. Satan doesn’t like to hear when we totally submit to God. God’s angels begin running a victory lap.

REMEMBER WHO GOD IS

Nehemiah looks over the situation, calls together the nobles and the rest of the people and says, “Don’t be afraid of the enemy! Remember the Lord, who is great and glorious, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes!” In other words, REMEMBER! REMEMBER WHO GOD IS!!!!!! These are the words that strike fear in the evil one’s heart.

The Jewish people at that point throw their lot totally into the hands of God. Instead of wringing their hands, they “work early and late, from sunrise to sunset. And half the men are always on guard.” Can you imagine the new attitude and words of encouragement coming out of the mouths of God’s people?

The enemy retreats back to the shadows when we intentionally adjust our attitudes. “Don’t be afraid of the enemy! Remember the Lord, who is great and glorious!” “We stand tallest and strongest on our knees.”