The Passage: Nehemiah 3. Additional reading: Nehemiah 2:20a; 4:6
The Point: God’s work requires faith and dedication.
Rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem required people, supplies, planning, and leadership. Those items would be far less effective had Nehemiah lacked faith that God would empower them to complete the job. Nehemiah’s faith was infectious. The people saw his faith and were infused with faith themselves. This was not faith in tools or planning, but in God. They were a people who witnessed God deliver them from Egypt and split a sea for them. With God leading, they knew they could rebuild the walls.
Israel knew God was their security. The idea of rebuilt walls was great, but rebuilt or not, the walls were nothing without God. Jerusalem was small and surrounded by enemies. They didn’t stand a chance without God’s protection. Thus, rebuilding the walls took renewed faith and dedication to the work.
We see Nehemiah’s log of events in Nehemiah 3. Imagine the effort it took. As we read, we see people working tirelessly. We see people from Jerusalem working together with people from outside the city. We witness families, tribes, and people from all walks of life working together. What an amazing thing it must have been to see these once dejected people living in a broken city become re-energized to accomplish this massive task! Imagine how encouraged Nehemiah was as he surveyed the walls going up around him. Faith and dedication to God are never misplaced!
As we survey Palm Beach County and South Florida, it’s easy to be discouraged. We see people battling addiction. We see broken families and broken people all around us. We see the homeless living in the same streets shared by people owning multi-million-dollar homes. The poor and the rich need hope. We have that message of hope. The greatest need of South Florida is for Christians to rise up, come together, and dedicate themselves in faith to the work of the gospel. Faith and dedication to God is never misplaced because he is the God who makes all things possible, and with Him, we can reach South Florida for Jesus.
Processing:
- Why does it encourage believers to see other believers display great faith in God?
- How do you think the workers encouraged one another during the rebuilding efforts?
- In what ways do we see Israel’s faith in Nehemiah 3?
Planning:
- Is there an area of life where you are trusting in someone or something rather than God?
- How could joining a group or serving with others help encourage your faith?