A Prayer of Dependence - Meditations on Nehemiah 4

"Hear, O our God, for we are despised. Turn back their taunt on their own heads and give them up to be plundered in a land where they are captives. Do not cover their guilt, and let not their sin be blotted out from your sight, for they have provoked you to anger in the presence of the builders" (Nehemiah 4:4-5)

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Nehemiah's first response to opposition was prayer. This shouldn't surprise us. He prayed when he heard the news of Jerusalem. He prayed when he was pressed to give an answer to Artaxerxes. Now he prays when threats arise that might possibly hinder the work of rebuilding. This prayer demonstrates something about Nehemiah's attitude and something about Sanballat's offense.

Nehemiah's repeated prayers prove that he considered the work of building the wall to be God's business first of all. God had called him to it and God would grant him success. Too many times, we feel God's direction concerning a matter and then live and work as if the success of the thing was entirely up to us. But God does not call a person to a task and then sit back and watch. That belief is called deism. Instead, he expects us to work diligently, all the while depending on him. We are to have a constant awareness that our strength to work is produced by him and our progress and success will be granted by him.

Nehemiah's prayer also shows that Sanballat's offense was not, primarily, against Nehemiah or the Jews. His offense was primarily against God. Nehemiah could have prayed, "They have provoked the builders in your presence! Hear and judge them!" This would not have been wrong, but it wasn't the most accurate assessment of what was going on. Instead, he prayed, "They have provoked you to anger in the presence of the builders." Because the work was God's work, Sanballat's attempts to interfere were not, as he thought, an offense to the Jews. They were an offense to God, himself.

Examine your own motives and efforts. How are you approaching the things that God has called you to do? In may be starting a new church, sharing the gospel with your friends, or spending time in the Word and prayer. Are you approaching the task as if it depended on your strength, your efforts? Or are you consciously aware of your dependency on him?

How are you responding to the opposition to what God has called you to do? Do you see it as a personal attack? Do you feel the need to justify yourself? Remember, God has a greater interest in his work than you do. Give the matter up to him and trust him to deal with the opposition as he sees fit.