Issues.

Problems.

Disruptions.

Distractions.

There are times when I am challenged on every side.  Does this happen to you?

And it happens more often when I’m trying to do something good, stretching out of my comfort zone to help others to do something God is asking me to do.

We know what this is, don’t we?  Spiritual warfare.

We know who this is – Satan.

He doesn’t like it when I’m trying to do something good for other people – especially because God is involved.  So Satan throws up roadblocks and distractions whenever and however he can.

As I read about Nehemiah’s constant problems while leading the Israelites in rebuilding the wall around Jerusalem, its easy to see how much Satan didn’t like what Nehemiah was doing.  Nehemiah ran into issues every step of the way – their Samaritan neighbors discouraged the workers by constantly taunting them, the rich people acted unfairly towards the poor people causing a lot of distractions, and then their neighbors started to threaten to attack them.

I think its significant that Nehemiah wasn’t scared or discouraged by any of this.  He wasn’t whining or trying to blame anyone.  He was not distracted from the goal God gave him to rebuild the wall.

He prayed, “Now strengthen my hands.”

He didn’t ask God to get rid of all of the problems.  He asked for strength to take care of them with God’s help.

And the wall around Jerusalem, which had laid broken in pieces for many, many years, was rebuilt in 52 days.

“With the help of our God”.

Please strengthen my hands, Abba Father.