the Fourth Week after Easter
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Daily Devotionals
Day by Day Devotional - Year 2 of 5
Nehemiah 4:1-14
While the walls were being repaired, the enemies’ anger rumbled against Judah. Sanballat, their spokesman, vents his anger and ridicules them at the same time. We are especially sensitive to mockery. The world sees no wrong in ridiculing the separation of Christians, the weakness of their meetings . . . Let us not allow ourselves to be disturbed by such remarks. "So built we the wall . . .", Nehemiah concluded (v. 6)!
Then the enemy turned to direct hostility. And discouragement troubles the men of Judah. They look at their own weakness (v. 10). That is agreeing with the enemy who had despised "these feeble Jews" (v. 2). They think about the weight of the burdens, the amount of rubbish . . . On the other hand, there are those who, with Nehemiah, acknowledge their two-fold strength (v. 9). It is at the same time a command of the Lord: "Watch and pray . . ." (Matthew 26:41; 1 Peter 4:7). Prayer must be our first response to the efforts of the Enemy. Yet that does not exclude watchfulness. That is why Nehemiah takes various measures to ensure that the people are watched and protected during the final stage of the work.
