Nehemiah was a Hebrew living in exile after his home city of Jerusalem had been destroyed. The plight of his nation weighed so heavily on him that he couldn’t ignore it. It was in his heart to rebuild God’s city of worship. Surprisingly, the pagan king he worked for agreed to help him. However, when the word got out that the tribe of Israel was re-establishing itself, enemies arose.

It displeased them greatly that someone had come to seek the welfare of the people of Israel.

Nehemiah 2:10

An effective line of attack against Nehemiah’s work was a web of cleverly disseminated lies. Opponents accused Nehemiah of having ulterior motives to his work, namely building up the Israelite nation for a future rebellion and setting himself up as King! Time and again enemies sabotaged his work and assaulted Nehemiah personally. Regardless of the challenges, Nehemiah kept praying and continued building. Eventually the city was restored and God’s people again worshiped Him as a nation.

Today, don’t be distracted in your prayers or sidelined in your work: honor God. Remember, the agents of darkness must flea away in the face of your faithful persistence. Take the Nehemiah approach – keep working and keep praying for God to move in the lives of America’s people and citizens.

Recommended Reading: Psalm 86:8-15