Ever feel so tired and worn that things seem a tad faded and you wonder if you will ever catch up? Have your days off ever felt more exhausting than restful? Yeah, that’s where I’m at. It’s like I’m so stressed out most of the time that I have forgotten how not to stress out.
Stress, however, can be dealt with. It is the giving up that slowly creeps in and dampens your dreams, and with them your heart. Sometimes it is hard to even tell it has happened until you start thinking about that thing and you just feel, bleh about it.
That feeling, that process of giving up on dreams is not of God. No matter how many times people tell you, “Well maybe that wasn’t in God’s plan for you.” A “wait” is not a “no”. It can be difficult to hold on to though.
Now I wont say that winning the lottery was God’s hand in this man’s life (nor the lightning). But I can say the waiting was probably no easier than waiting for anything else and then he got more than he bargained for.
With God we often get more than we bargained for, sometimes I think that is why He has us wait so long.
15 So the wall was finished on the twenty-fifth day of the month Elul, in fifty-two days. 16 And when all our enemies heard of it, all the nations around us were afraid and fell greatly in their own esteem, for they perceived that this work had been accomplished with the help of our God. 17 Moreover, in those days the nobles of Judah sent many letters to Tobiah, and Tobiah's letters came to them. 18 For many in Judah were bound by oath to him, because he was the son-in-law of Shecaniah the son of Arah: and his son Jehohanan had taken the daughter of Meshullam the son of Berechiah as his wife. 19 Also they spoke of his good deeds in my presence and reported my words to him. And Tobiah sent letters to make me afraid.
Nehemiah probably felt like he got more than he had bargained for. He asked God to help him restore Israel, and God did, with the blessings of the King. When he got to Israel he asked the people to help him rebuild and they did but he also got a slew of powerful enemies. Nehemiah waited for the wall to be finished, defended the people, and kept watch, all the while hearing about how good his enemies were (from his own people).
God always repays more than we give up though. Nehemiah finally got the wall rebuilt and on top of that he saw his enemies lose confidence because they knew the work was God’s.
Actually, this is one promise every Builder shares. We struggle and we wait for the rebuilding of our lives around Christ and God promises we will see works completed. For which He will get the glory, and when he gets that glory those who have tried intimidating you, discouraging you, and opposing you will suffer a blow to their own esteem. They simply will not be able to deny the work of God in your life.
The work God does in your life is awesome but this undeniable testimony is truly the best part of a Builder’s job.
God promises the waiting will be worth it, regardless how many people try to stand against you, so long as we keep the course. Just imagine, your testimony will be an undeniable work of God. That’s pretty awesome.
Come to think of it I suppose it could be likened to waiting through pregnancy and rewarded with…
Thank you. You have no idea how needed an encouragement this was.
ReplyDeleteLet us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful." This is the confidence we have in our God.
And what a beautiful, precious reward for those 9 months he is!