Building In The Face Of Adversity (2)

But now, o God, strengthen my hands.

Nehemiah 6:1–9 ESV

Now when Sanballat and Tobiah and Geshem the Arab and the rest of our enemies heard that I had built the wall and that there was no breach left in it (although up to that time I had not set up the doors in the gates), Sanballat and Geshem sent to me, saying, “Come and let us meet together at Hakkephirim in the plain of Ono.” But they intended to do me harm. And I sent messengers to them, saying, “I am doing a great work and I cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and come down to you?” And they sent to me four times in this way, and I answered them in the same manner. In the same way Sanballat for the fifth time sent his servant to me with an open letter in his hand. In it was written, “It is reported among the nations, and Geshem also says it, that you and the Jews intend to rebel; that is why you are building the wall. And according to these reports you wish to become their king. And you have also set up prophets to proclaim concerning you in Jerusalem, ‘There is a king in Judah.’ And now the king will hear of these reports. So now come and let us take counsel together.” Then I sent to him, saying, “No such things as you say have been done, for you are inventing them out of your own mind.” For they all wanted to frighten us, thinking, “Their hands will drop from the work, and it will not be done.” But now, O God, strengthen my hands.

A Life Re-Defined by The Spirit of God

In his excellent book on worship, The Dangerous Act of Worship, pastor and president of Fuller Seminary Mark Labberton shares a story of the transformation of one of his former congregants:

Ben was a very successful man. His professional life flourished. His family life was challenging, as a parent of several teenagers. For him, Christian faith was a distant and disconnected reality. But he began to have conversations about it with his wife and later with me.

One Sunday I was surprised but pleased to see him in the worship service. As he approached me at the door afterward, his eyes began to fill with tears. He explained that while visiting Washington, D.C, for a professional conference, he had gone to visit the National Cathedral. He slipped into an empty side chapel and sat down for some quiet time and reflection.

There, unexpected and unsought, God’s Spirit simply came upon him. Ben became a new person. The awe and wonder of grace and truth beyond his own mind, his own questions, his own needs, simply met him and changed him. It was as though his life was utterly redefined, and it has been ever since.

Taken from The Dangerous Act of Worship by Mark Labberton. Copyright (c) 2007 by Mark Labberton. Published by InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove, IL. www.ivpress.com

Adversity lies in wait for you. It seems to always be near by, just out of our field of vision. But, it is a constant in life. At least in my life. The presence of adversity implies there is an adversary. According to Miriam-Webster Dictionary:The meaning of ADVERSARY is one that contends with, opposes, or resists : an enemy or opponent.

In the portion of scripture we are exploring this morning, it is clear to see that Nehemiah has several adversaries. And they meant to do him harm. Have you ever faced this level of opposition? I’m sure each of us have stories of opposition in our own lives. Let’s look behind the curtain for a moment. Jerusalem has been in ruin for basically 70 years with no temple and for all intents and purposes, no Jehovah. What does that mean? There was no godly influence, for the most part, for 70 years. Our enemy, Satan, must have loved it. So, what did the rebuilding of the temple and the city walls symbolize? Why would Satan stand so firm against this? The rebuilding of the temple meant that God had returned to Jerusalem. We recognize that He never left; but, we are talking about what this meant to those people living in and around Jerusalem. It was a symbol of hope to those who had endured oppression. The rebuilding of the walls meant the safety and security of the Lord had returned. But what it really meant was that He was gonna keep his promises. He was still there God. He was still on the throne. He was still in control. It might have seemed dark for a while. It might have seemed that God was silent for a while. They might have felt alone for a while. But He is still there God and He is still present and active in their lives. Maybe you feel like this sometimes. I want to encourage you with this, beloved. He is still your heavenly Father, He is still on the throne, He is still in control. He is still ordering your steps and leading you where He wants you to go. There is still hope no matter what the situation might look like. Just like He called Ezra to rebuild the temple and Nehemiah to rebuild the walls, He is calling you to build your relationship with Him. He is calling you to build your relationships with others. He is calling you to be the men and women of God He created you to be. He is calling you build the Kingdom of God. He is also calling you to repentance and to begin relying on Him completely.

Something started on February 8th at Asbury University during chapel. They experienced the manifest presence of God which led to revival meetings that don’t exactly look like revival to us. It wasn’t planned by the faculty, staff or students. It has not been led by any well known evangelist or Dove winning worship leader. God visited with the students during chapel and He hasn’t left yet. I said a moment ago that it started at Asbury, and has spread to other college campuses like Fruitland Bible College in Hendersonville, NC and Samford University in Alabama and Cedarville University in Ohio and Lee University in Cleveland, TN and a national revival in Uganda. I’m not going to say that this is an end time outpouring of the Holy Spirit but I will say this, It seems apparent to me that something is stirring in college age adults right now. We have been talking about and praying for revival for months and the spirit is stirring hearts across this nation. Is He stirring your heart this morning? If He is, give in to Him. Don’t pretend you’re alright if you aren’t. I may not know exactly what you are struggling with this morning but I know that you are struggling with something. How do I know? Because we are all struggling with something, myself included. If God is calling to you right now, meet Him at the alter and let Him build something new and fresh within you.