Tuesday, June 11, 2024

            Nehemiah was a builder.  There is an Old Testament book that carries his name.  He was tasked by God with rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem that lay in ruin following the Babylonian conquest of Judah and subsequent captivity for the people of Judah.  Before he ever began the process of rebuilding, the Bible tells us that he fasted, mourned and prayed before the Lord (Nehemiah 1:4).  Almost midway through the book and the rebuilding, he was facing intense and incredible opposition.  That likely sounds familiar.  Often, as we seek to serve the Lord or build something for His glory, we will encounter opposition and adversaries.  The enemy never rests and seemingly never runs out of people who are willing to be his servants in opposition, discord and division.  Satan often does not have to destroy something outright as much as he simply needs to distract us from other matters that are important in Kingdom work and the advancement of the gospel.
            But Nehemiah knew where his strength came from and the One who had called him to the task of rebuilding these walls.  We find a great directive in Nehemiah 6:9 that can apply to us today.  The Bible says, “They were all trying to frighten us, thinking, ‘Their hands will get too weak for the work, and it will not be completed.’  But I prayed, ‘Now strengthen my hands.’”   Here is a four-word prayer that we can pray anytime…now strengthen my hands.  You may need your hands strengthened to be a mother or father today.  Maybe you need strengthened hands to do whatever the Lord has entrusted you to do today.  Maybe you need strengthened hands to press on in a battle or fight that the Lord has given to you.  Frankly, we can sense a need for strengthened hands in almost any situation or circumstance in life.  Nehemiah teaches us that there is no shame or embarrassment in asking for the Lord to strengthen our hands. 
            There may be a burden that you are carrying in prayer but cannot seem to find the strength or energy to pray one more time.  Ask God to strengthen your hands so you can fold them in prayer to petition Him for victory.  Maybe you are trying to rebuild your life, career or family after a series of setbacks, trials and battles.  Maybe God has closed one chapter or door and opened another one, a new one for you to enter.  Perhaps you need your hands (and even your feet!) to be strengthened to walk forward confidently and courageously toward what God has for you.  We can trust the story that God is writing in our lives.  Maybe your dreams have not turned out as you would have expected.  Maybe your hopes have been shattered.  Pray for strengthened hands to receive what God may wish to give you today. 
            Paul certainly knew opposition and roadblocks.  His life was often marked by detours and changed plans.  The apostle revealed his approach to life when the way forward was blocked or even unclear.  He wrote, “But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13b-14).  And throughout his life, he knew the strengthening power of the Lord’s touch.  He knew that God would strengthen his hands, amplify his voice, lift his heart and go before him. 
            Take time today to pray those four important words that Nehemiah prayed…now strengthen my hands.  Our hands are weak and empty but HIS hands are powerful and full.  May the hands that were stretched out and nailed to a cross be the hands that envelop and encircle you today with strength beyond measure and hopes beyond anything this world has to offer.  Have a great Tuesday!  Remember you can share our worship any time at YouTube.com/FirstBaptistKannapolis.  Also, remember that tomorrow, Wednesday, June 12, we will gather for our summer “Prayer and Praise” time at 5:45.  We will have a time of worship, seeking the Lord, listening to the Lord and giving our thanks to Him.