Read Nehemiah 6:1-14
What intimidates you? Maybe it’s speaking in front of groups, handling an overbearing boss, or volunteering to work with children at church. Those types of intimidation are more self-imposed by some fear or anxiety. Whereas Nehemiah is being intimidated by people who feel threatened by him and God’s people. As their governor, Nehemiah is a prime target to face all sorts of challenges.
We’ve seen how Nehemiah is a godly man devoted to God. He has listened to God’s call on his life, which includes his mission to rebuild the wall in Jerusalem. Nehemiah is also intent on leading God’s people to follow the laws of Moses.
I was impressed that Nehemiah could see clearly the attempt to get him behind locked doors of the temple. Who would imagine that a young man, confined to his house, would be plotting to interfere with Nehemiah’s mission? Having a few “extra bucks” in his pocket from the enemy was the perfect motivation.
When outside forces are closing in on us, remembering how God provided Nehemiah with discernment and courage should help us, too. Nehemiah has been interacting with God this whole time. When the lines of communication are open, it’s a lot easier for us to hear God’s messages.
If you are facing a time of intimidation in your own life, pray. That’s the best way to start the conversation with God. The next step is crucial. Listen. Listen for God to respond and give you the promptings you need. Like he did to protect Nehemiah from making a bad choice, God will protect us, too.
Whatever your ministry involvement is, you can be sure there are people acting like these enemies. They will be nice to your face but have all sorts of negative things to say “behind your back.” If you haven’t experienced that yet in any of your ministry positions, you have had God’s protection! If you can identify with me on this, than you can be sure God is there to protect you as well.
What we almost miss in this passage is that the wall is completed. That is what has all the enemies of God in a tizzy. They had to act fast before the doors were fully installed. Time was running out to ruin God’s perfect reconstruction plan. Since the enemies didn’t believe in God, they wanted to make sure to discredit God and anyone who believed in him. The enemies’ desire for dominance was clouding their perception of reality.
The enemy will try to distract us from our task, whether it’s rebuilding a wall or something else. When we’re distracted, evil wins. We’ve lost our effectiveness for the Lord. We’ve missed opportunities to learn and grow. We’ve not completed our mission to the best of our ability.
Have no fear. The Bible tells us that a lot. We don’t have to fear the enemy because God will win that battle. What we need to fear is displeasing our God, our protector, our friend. Spend some extra time today with your best friend, God. Let him help you with what’s intimidating you today.
Let’s pray. Lord, I am grateful for all the great things you have done in my life and want to glorify you in all I say and do. There have been plenty of intimidations over the years, as you know. But I thank you for being there to help me find my way through those times. Forgive me for letting distractions cloud my mind and keep me from you. Help me do a better job of resisting evil. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
