On the 24th day of Christmas my true love gave to me the power to build anew (Nehemiah 2).
You had any blows dealt to you lately? I mean those life changing hits that have thrust your body back, knocked you down and out? If you haven’t, I know you can remember a time when you did. Life was pretty messy, but somehow you got up, got yourself together and rebuilt your life. Maybe God used somebody, like He did Nehemiah, to be that Christ-like figure to help you stand strong.
Nehemiah was the cupbearer to the Persian king and lived in a palace. He lived a life of comfort but wouldn’t rest, knowing the wall of Jerusalem lie in ruins. Having a sad countenance the king asked Nehemiah what was wrong. After hearing his plight, the king gave Nehemiah permission and all the resources needed to lead his people back to Jerusalem to rebuild the wall. God gave Nehemiah, a powerfully prayerful man, the favor, power and tools he needed to rebuild in 52 days the wall that lay in rubble for more than 90 years. His enemies couldn’t stop him, no matter how much they lied and threatened him, and they even marveled “that this work was done by our God” (Nehemiah 6:16). Nehemiah typifies Christ as a restorer.
Jesus voluntarily left His high position in heaven to do God the Father’s will, so that we who believe in Him “might have life” and have it “more abundantly” (John 10:10). He said, “… Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” Jesus’ body was broken, destroyed, and restored to life so that through Him we might be restored and built up. It’s one thing to have peace with God (restoration). It’s another thing to actually flourish in that peace (being built up). Like Nehemiah, and Jesus on earth, through prayer and other spiritual disciplines we can flourish (Nehemiah 1; John 17; 2 Peter 1:1-10). When life deals us wind-expelling blows of lies and job loss, troubled children and bodily sickness, we have to focus on the power of Jesus. We have been given His Holy Spirit, who longs for and waits to give us the power we need to get up from the hits and build again.
What types of blows have knocked you out? How did Jesus help you build again?
Copyright 2010 by Rhonda J. Smith