Then I Said to them, “You see the distress that we are in, how Jerusalem lies waste, and its gates are burned with fire. Come and let us build the wall of Jerusalem, that we may no longer be a reproach.” 18 And I told them of the hand of my God which had been good upon me, and also of the king’s words that he had spoken to me. So they said, “Let us rise up and build.” Then they set their hands to this good work. Nehemiah 2: 17-18
Nehemiah was a Jew who was in captivity. He was cupbearer to King Artaxerxes. He received word from one of his Jewish brothers about how distressed Jerusalem was and how broken down the city and gates were. This made him very sad. (Neh. 1). One day as he was serving the king, the king noted the sadness of his countenance and inquired about it. This gives an indication of the respect the king had for the way Nehemiah had carried out his slave duties to the king. He told the king about the sad condition of his homeland. In replay, the king asked, “What do you request?” I love Nehemiah’s immediate reaction, “So I prayed to the God of heaven. And I said to the king…” (Neh. 2: 2, 3) Upon his request, the king granted permission for him to go back to Jerusalem and rebuild. Chapter 3 is a beautiful scene of cooperation among brethren and families. It tells of one family, then follows with, “And next to them…” Side by side they worked together in unity until they had built the whole wall to half its height. With such a wonderful spirit of unity and cooperation, there were still critics and there were still enemies. But working together, they did not let either distract them from their cooperation and task at hand.
So we built the wall, and the entire wall was joined together up to half its height, for the people had a mind to work. Nehemiah 4:6
The spirit of faithful service, unity and cooperation has been on full display in our congregation over the last several weeks. I read a Facebook post where a neighbor was thanking one of our deacons who came home after a long day of work and began to clean up her yard after the storm. It takes many people working together to host and feed over 300 people for a youth gathering! Add to that summer Bible camps, Teens and Tagalongs and service projects, events such as “Look Who’s Coming to Dinner,” and singing for shut-ins and it is easy to see a great mind to work, and spirit of love and unity on display!
Thank you for your wonderful example and your faithful service in the name of the Lord!
-John Helbig
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