Day 5

Scripture to Read: Nehemiah 2:17-18

We read in Nehemiah 2:17 that Nehemiah told the Jews, the priests, the nobles, the officials, and the rest who would do the work the huge job that lay before them. Nehemiah was honest and told these people the bad news, that the situation they were in was grim, that Jerusalem was desolate, and that the gates had all been burned by fire. Now, these people already knew this, but Nehemiah was letting them know that he had taken the time to “probe around the devastation to see the extent of its damage.” Then Nehemiah laid out the challenge to these people, to join him to rebuild the wall around Jerusalem so that they would no longer be mocked, ridiculed, sneered at, or disrespected. Building the wall was not just about protecting the city of Jerusalem but also about removing the shame and insecurity among God’s people. Then Nehemiah shared with these people how God had given Nehemiah His favor, and how God used the king to speak words of affirmation to Nehemiah to go and rebuild the wall. God used Nehemiah to provide an incredible word of encouragement to the people of Jerusalem. The people’s response was, “Let us arise and build.” The people knew God was with Nehemiah, and the people knew God would see them through this tremendous job. So, they lingered no longer but they got busy with rebuilding the wall and the gates. God wants us to do the same by walking obediently to His commands. Talking is not enough, but we must do His work.

Challenge & Application

1. What did God teach you today about doing His work and not just talking about it? (see also Ephesians 2:10 & Titus 3:14) 2. How will you serve our Lord this week? What work do you know He has called you to accomplish?

Don’t forget to pray using the A.C.T.S. (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication) method!

Devotionals from this week

Swipe to Discover More

Day 1

God works in miraculous ways in our lives every day. Sometimes, as believers, we begin to think that we should not have to face struggles, tests, or trials if we are in God’s will. If we are walking through a trial, we think we must have done something wrong or that we are doing something wrong. But, as God has taught us throughout His Word, ...

Read

Day 2

Nehemiah arrived in Jerusalem along with the military escort the king provided and all of the lumber and materials needed to rebuild the wall. There is no doubt people would be wondering why they were there in Jerusalem. We read in Nehemiah 2:11 that Nehemiah and everyone with him had been in Jerusalem for three days. We also read in Nehemiah...

Read

Day 3

When God lays a burden on our hearts, we need to seek His direction and discernment. We know that during the four months that Nehemiah prayed about the burden God had given him to rebuild the wall in Jerusalem, God also gave Nehemiah a clear vision of how to do it. We read in Nehemiah 2:13-15 that Nehemiah went out at night to examine the wal...

Read

Day 4

After surveying the wall of Jerusalem and the gates, we read that Nehemiah had kept his surveying expedition pretty secret. No one knew where Nehemiah had gone or what he had been doing. We know Nehemiah had been checking on the extent of the damage to the wall and the gates. The word used in Nehemiah 2:13 and Nehemiah 2:15 is the word “inspe...

Read

Day 5

We read in Nehemiah 2:17 that Nehemiah told the Jews, the priests, the nobles, the officials, and the rest who would do the work the huge job that lay before them. Nehemiah was honest and told these people the bad news, that the situation they were in was grim, that Jerusalem was desolate, and that the gates had all been burned by fire. Now, ...

Read

Day 6

Wherever God is at work, we must remember that the spiritual forces of darkness will also be at work (Ephesians 6:12). We read in Nehemiah 2:19 that Sanballat, Tobiah, and Geshem began to mock and despise Nehemiah and the Israelites who were part of the rebuilding project. Remember back in Nehemiah 2:10 that Sanballat and Tobiah were very dis...

Read

Day 7

When faced with the spiritual battles of this life each day, we must be sure of our foundation in Christ and His Word. As we saw in yesterday’s devotion, Sanballat, Tobiah, and Geshem were mocking and looking down upon Nehemiah and the others who were rebuilding the wall and the gates around Jerusalem. Interestingly, Sanballat, Tobiah, and Ge...

Read