Day 11

January 19

Bill McKinley

Nehemiah 2:17-18

Then I said to them, “You see the trouble we are in: Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned with fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and we will no longer be in disgrace.” I also told them about the gracious hand of my God on me and what the king had said to me. They replied, “Let us start rebuilding.” So, they began this good work. 

Nehemiah went to the people after he heard from God proclaiming to the people God’s word to rebuild, not to let their community lie in ruins. The people agreed, “Let us start rebuilding.” That is where we are now. As we look around us at the brokenness in our communities, in our families, and even in our own lives, we hear, ‘let us rebuild in the name of the LORD’. Over the last two years, we have seen what has broken our lives and our world, and I wonder if God asks why we seem to be dragging our feet. What would it take for us to be able to move and support each other? To help each other rebuild the community that we live in. I admit, I wonder what I can do. It often seems so overwhelming to be able to rebuild what is broken. I need to step back and remember we are not responsible for everything. God is and he will make work what will work. 

Second, we need to pray for what God would have us rebuild. Is it my family, my community, my church, or something else? The call for us is to accept this. We often hear from God through the people and events around us – but we make excuses in our lives and do nothing. The people listened to Nehemiah because they knew him, they trusted him, he had demonstrated trustworthiness, and he was a man of God. That too is who we are called to listen to, to look to those people in our lives. As we look at renovation in our lives and community, let us not just wait for others – God is moving in us. Let’s listen to God and then say, “Let us start building!”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, we ask you what it is we are to rebuild. Help us see the needs in front of us: family, friends, community, church, or even ourselves. Let us move out from our fear to action in your name. I ask the Holy Spirit to sustain us and to guide us in our next steps.

Amen.