Nehemiah 2:11-20 – I went to Jerusalem, and after staying there three days I set out during the night with a few others. I had not told anyone what my God had put in my heart to do for Jerusalem. There were no mounts with me except the one I was riding on.
By night I went out through the Valley Gate toward the Jackal Well and the Dung Gate, examining the walls of Jerusalem, which had been broken down, and its gates, which had been destroyed by fire.
Then I moved on toward the Fountain Gate and the King’s Pool, but there was not enough room for my mount to get through; so I went up the valley by night, examining the wall. Finally, I turned back and reentered through the Valley Gate. The officials did not know where I had gone or what I was doing, because as yet I had said nothing to the Jews or the priests or nobles or officials or any others who would be doing the work.
Then I said to them, “You see the trouble we are in: Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned with fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and we will no longer be in disgrace.” I also told them about the gracious hand of my God on me and what the king had said to me.
They replied, “Let us start rebuilding.” So they began this good work.
But when Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite official and Geshem the Arab heard about it, they mocked and ridiculed us. “What is this you are doing?” they asked. “Are you rebelling against the king?”
I answered them by saying, “The God of heaven will give us success. We his servants will start rebuilding, but as for you, you have no share in Jerusalem or any claim or historic right to it.”
Nehemiah has received permission from his King pursue his vision to go to Jerusalem to rebuild the walls torn down and burned by the Babylonians. So he arrives and goes to inspect the walls for himself for the first time. He goes by night because he has not told anyone in the city about his plan yet. I can only imagine the horror he must have felt when got there and saw the carnage firsthand.
On Sunday, March 13, 1994, I was a Student Pastor of a four-point charge in northeast Georgia. I had preached at one of my churches, Raytown UMC that morning and officiated at my first wedding that afternoon. We had driven back to Atlanta that night so I could resume my seminary classes the next morning. At just after 9:00pm, I got a call from the Lay Leader of Raytown. He informed me that the church building had just burned down. I could tell that his heart was broken and my heart was breaking for him. That night, I didn’t sleep much. I knew deep in my heart that it was my responsibility to help this congregation get through this time. But I didn’t know what I was in for.
I went out to Raytown the next morning and waded through the rubble with my parishioners and grieved with them. It was one thing to hear about the tragedy and feel moved to want to do something. It’s quite another to see the ashes and look into the grief-stricken eyes of 90-year-olds who had been baptized and married in that building and whose loved ones were buried just yards away in the cemetery behind the church. The task seemed overwhelming. I’m guessing that is what Nehemiah felt that night in Jerusalem on a scale much larger than I can imagine.
But while he was walking through the crumbled and fire-blackened stones of what had been the proud walls of Jerusalem, he encountered some fellow Jews. He decided to risk telling them about his vision to rebuild and something remarkable happened. They were moved to join the cause. And soon Nehemiah was no longer alone. And the feeling of being overwhelmed was replaced by a sense of hope in the possibilities. He found that God had placed the dream in other hearts as well and because of that, Nehemiah realized that God would do the rebuilding through them.
I had a very similar experience walking with the people of Raytown as they grieved. Their grief turned to hope and a willingness to do something to rebuild. And in only 200 days, we opened a brand new building built on the ashes of the previous sanctuary. We opened with a larger and more energized congregation than we had before Many of them said later that the fire was “the best thing that ever happened to us!”
In overwhelming times, God is still with us. Often, we realize this when we share our hearts with others and see that their hearts have been feeling the same things that ours have. Is there a conversation you need to have today?
Prayer: God, help us to see you and feel your presence through the people we are sharing life with. Help us to experience the hope created by authentic community.
Prayer Focus: Pray for your immediate family today. If that is something you already do, spend a little extra time on it today.
Song: Needtobreathe – Wasteland
Weekday Word w/ Eric 
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