Leadership 54

Nehemiah forgot to close the door. I know, I know, it can happen to anyone. We’ve all gotten up in the morning and a door left unsecured or the alarm not set…or maybe it was accidentally left open. Thankfully, we awakened safely and no unwanted guests were waiting for us when we got out of bed!

Nehemiah 6:15 gives us the victory shout of Nehemiah’s journal: “Now on the 25th day of Elul the wall was completed in 52 days.” If you’ve seen the old city of Jerusalem and the walls around it, you know that was no human task. It was God-empowered! Fifty-two days is an Olympic record of construction… from rubble and disorganization, to disenfranchised and discouraged workers, to out-and-out opposition and threats of terrorism while the stones were being rebuilt… it is nothing short of amazing and no one would have been shocked had it taken 52 weeks or 52 months to complete!

But 52 DAYS… that was a God-sized achievement. And it was an unavoidable confirmation that God had sent Nehemiah; first to rebuild the structure of the wall and then to participate in the rebuilding of the government of God’s people. He went quickly from contractor to governor… not his agenda but that’s what happened. But first the walls had to be rebuilt… the framework and identity of the people of Israel… their call to be a “peculiar people,” a missionary nation… a lighthouse… was contingent on those walls going back in place. God had promised it would happen.

And He delivered!

We see again that God’s purposes always prevail. God always does what He said He would do. He keeps His Word. But we have to make sure something happens… we have to watch for the entrance of deception and impurity inside our “walls” personally. Nehemiah built the walls but “the gates and bars had not yet been hung.” And Sanballet, and Tobiah and Geshem kept finding a way in!

And as long as they were open, the enemy kept coming. Whenever the devil can find an entrance, he will always use it. It may be a temptation that keeps knocking… a grudge that keeps reoccurring… wrong choices that we keep making. Far too many fall because of unsecured areas and entrances into their souls and lives.

Keep the door closed. God wants us to live at peace but when the doors are open the “enemy comes in like a flood.” Watch for weak points. Station guards to make sure those areas are secure. Pay attention to breaches in the wall. God empowered Nehemiah to build the wall but apparently it was up to him to make sure the doors were closed.

Be watchful; be on guard. As your rebuilding is concluded, don’t forget that most important piece of the fortification:

The doors.


FOR MEDITATION: 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.                Nehemiah 6:16 ESV

FOR REFLECTION: Are there unsecured areas in your life right now: your relationships, your thought life, your intake of media, reading or listening? Be careful that these do not become open doors for the enemy to enter your life. What is one area you could decide to close today?

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