Orison is Simultaneously Linked with Opportunity, Part 1

Scripture: Nehemiah 4:6-9

So we built the wall and the whole wall was joined together to half its height, for the people had a mind to work. Now when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites and the Ashdodites heard that the repair of the walls of Jerusalem went on, and that the breaches began to be closed, they were very angry. All of them conspired together to come and fight against Jerusalem and to cause a disturbance in it. But we prayed to our God, and because of them we set up a guard against them day and night.

Insights: In Henry Blackaby’s material Experiencing God, he writes about the crises of belief.  This crisis of belief is not so much about the external things of crises, but rather the internal struggle a person goes through in regards to their belief or trust in God.  Let me clarify this sentence.  God gives us an assignment, and provisionally speaking, if He is the One who has given us the assignment, then we know He will bring the project to a completed course.  As we learned earlier this week, however, when we begin to walk by faith, then it is precisely at that moment that opposition arises.  At this moment, we face this crisis of belief.  Do we actually believe God and what He told us about the assignment or do we not trust Him and run with our tails between our legs?  We now have an opportunity to exercise our faith to an even greater level at this point.  Now that the introduction is over, let’s look at verse six of today’s verses.  “The people had a mind to work.”  Amen!  The people responded to their opportunity with “keep mixing the mortar and hand me a brick, we are going to finish this wall.”  Beloved, it is important for us to understand that nothing excites Satan and those who cause opposition in our lives than when we succumb to their attacks and stop our pursuit after God.  Nothing infuriates them more than when we say, “bring it on, I am going to follow hard after the Lord.”  When we positively pass our crises of belief and say, “I do trust and believe God,” the opposition will often times intensify.  That scenario is exactly what happened to Nehemiah and the people of Jerusalem.  In verses seven and eight we see Arabs, Ammonites and Ashdodites joining Sanballat and Tobiah in their assault on the hearts of the people of God.  We need to be aware that walking this journey with Jesus is dangerous and costly, but it is worth every price we pay and event through which we suffer.

Questions:

1. Are you a person of persistent faith?
2. Have you begun to experience the intensified heat of opposition?

Prayer: Father, I am so grateful You never leave me nor forsake me.  Give me the courage to face these challenging days before me and let me life bring You glory.  Amen.