Nehemiah 1:3-11
“When I heard this, I sat down and cried and was filled with sorrow for days. I did not eat, and I prayed to the God of heaven” (Verse 4 NLV).

SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT

The walls of Jerusalem were in absolute ruin and what had been their parents’ city was completely destroyed. Exile, disaster, humiliation, fire and destruction perfectly describe the people of Israel when Nehemiah made his observations. But He understood that he had a role in all of it and started a large-scale job for the restoration of his city.

Let’s consider today what are our own ruins according to the circumstances we are going through; for example, fights, separations, divorces, frustrated projects, companies going under, young people stuck in addictions, unfulfilled dreams, etc.

LET’S GO DEEPER

Let’s look at what Nehemiah did to bring peace to his city and to every family of Israel:

1. HE PRAYED AND CRIED

Nehemiah 1:4
“So it was, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned for many days; I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven.”

Nehemiah prayed, fasted and cried because of his people’s condition. He heard and saw their devastation and was moved to seek God before anything else.

We can read Nehemiah’s prayer in detail in verses five to eleven. He prayed first, before thinking about taking action and putting his plan to rebuild in motion.

Let’s look at some key characteristics in Nehemiah’s character that led to his triumph in these circumstances:
He recognized God as the great and awe-inspiring God who keeps His promises to those who are faithful and obedient.
He prayed day and night for this cause, removing the arguments that were against them and confessing his sin and mentioning those of the people. “We have sinned against you.” (It is time to confess your city’s sin.)
He declared the arguments they had in their favor and received a vision of what would happen in the following 52 days.

At the end of his prayer, Nehemiah had the conviction that this project would succeed because God was on their side before he began it and until its completion.

2. HE GOT TO WORK!

Nehemiah 2:18
“And a letter to Asaph the keeper of the king’s forest, that he must give me timber to make beams for the gates of the [a]citadel which pertains to the temple, for the city wall, and for the house that I will occupy.” And the king granted them to me according to the good hand of my God upon me.”

When Nehemiah went before the king, he already had a clear plan and God had showed His support for that work. Then, he shared it with his brothers to help him carry it out. Their reaction was amazing and in one voice they declared: “Let’s get to work!”

How many times have our plans not gone further than pen and paper? Or our great ideas not become tangible? How many times have we not seen God’s support in our decisions simply because we don’t take action?! How many others remain just good intentions, but we do not commit ourselves to carry out the work!

Nehemiah had the firm conviction that rebuilding the walls, something he had determined to do in his heart, would be backed up by God himself from beginning to end and that He would let them move forward.
Faith is parallel to the movement of the bricks. God Himself is opening a way in disbelief and skepticism to bring us out to a place of faith and action!

3. HE HAD THE MOTIVATION TO GET THE JOB DONE

Nehemiah 2:18b
“So they said, “Let us rise up and build.” Then they set their hands to this good work.”

The work of rebuilding was not just Nehemiah’s responsibility. Everyone around him in one way or another had something to do. Our attitude is very important in the face of any challenge to build we may have ahead. While the people had good courage, they built half of the wall. Our mood and motivation should not be circumstantial, but determined by putting on faith daily.

The Israelites did not stop building, they did not give in to the pressures, but neither did they stop praying and keeping day and night watches.

Nehemiah 4:14
“And I looked, and arose and said to the nobles, to the leaders, and to the rest of the people, “Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, great and awesome, and fight for your brethren, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your houses.”

CHALLENGE

We know that the time has come to see our city transformed by God! And we also understand that it is time to fight for our families and have them be part of the change. Invite four of your closest relatives to join the challenge of conquering Bogota and together we will build our city’s future.

You can register at the following link:
www.saracastellanos.com/contactos/