A few years ago, my late husband lost his job, then fell ill. I had to financially support our family for some time. As I experienced bouts of discouragement, I recalled Peter’s words: “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life” (John 6:68). So I stayed in the Word, and the Lord was faithful to teach me amid my doubt and discouragement—even in unexpected ways.
The historical book of Nehemiah might not seem like an obvious place to turn for encouragement. It recounts Nehemiah’s efforts to rebuild the broken walls of Jerusalem, and chapter 6 includes multiple efforts by Nehemiah’s enemies to discourage him. However, he leads the returned exiles to complete the wall reconstruction project despite this heavy-handed opposition.
So what can we learn from Nehemiah’s response to the discouragement from his enemies?
Know the Truth
Nehemiah’s enemies assailed his wall-rebuilding efforts with every trick possible. They tried to lure him away from the job and, later, into sin. They harassed him and lied about him. They threatened his life and his character.
Likewise, Satan wants to halt our spiritual growth. He uses difficult circumstances (Luke 13:16), character assassination (Rev. 12:9–10), lies (John 8:44), and temptations (2 Cor. 11:3) to stop us in our spiritual tracks, to send us into pits of self-focus.
Nehemiah’s enemies didn’t succeed, in part because he knew the truth. He saw through their ploys. They called him to a meeting four times. Talk about tenacious evil! But Nehemiah knew they intended him harm and wanted to lure him away from leading the rebuilding efforts. They even used a false prophet who suggested Nehemiah sin by entering the temple to avoid an assassin.
We too need to remember the truth about Satan, to be “sober-minded” and “watchful” about his tactics, resisting his attempts to “devour us” and thwart our progress in the faith (1 Pet. 5:8–9).
Speak the Truth
Nehemiah didn’t just know the truth about his enemies’ efforts—he spoke back against Sanballat’s lie that Nehemiah wanted to proclaim himself King of Judah. Nehemiah regarded this as another attempt to frighten the wall repairers, so he called out the lie: “No such things as you say have been done, for you are inventing them out of your own mind” (Neh. 6:8).
Nehemiah spoke the truth to his enemies. And I need to speak truth when Satan attempts to discourage me about my shortcomings as a wife, mother, and worker. I speak the truth to myself—Jesus is in control of my spiritual progress, he will one day bring it to completion, and he loves me deeply, even amid my failure. Jesus died to forgive my sin and he lives to rid me of it.
When discouraged in our spiritual lives, we need to see the truth about our Enemy and speak the truth about our Friend.
We need to see the truth about our Enemy and speak the truth about our Friend.
Rely on God
When Nehemiah approached King Artaxerxes for permission to rebuild the wall, he was “very much afraid” (2:2). Before he asked the king for this favor, Nehemiah “prayed to the God of heaven” (2:4). God answered Nehemiah’s prayer, and he was encouraged.
From that point on, Nehemiah relied on God through prayer. His prayers are recorded several times in the book, including in chapter 6: “But now, O God, strengthen my hands” (v. 9). It’s easy to become discouraged when we rely on our strength and come up short. But as Nehemiah found, when we pray for God’s guidance, strength, and insight, he provides the help we need to persevere in the work he’s given us to do.
Just Do It
The returned exiles persisted in the wall reconstruction effort despite opposition and discouragement, and by chapter 6, only the wall gates remained to be rebuilt. The opposition picked up, but Nehemiah and those he led finished the wall anyway. They just did it!
God provides the help we need to persevere in the work he’s given us to do.
When I’m discouraged, the last thing I want to do is invest in spiritual disciplines like fellowship and worship. I’d rather sit in a chair and feel sorry for myself. But the way out of discouragement is to pick up the phone and call a trusted and encouraging Christian friend or to attend worship where we’re reminded of the truth of the cross and reassured of God’s love. We need to move forward like Nehemiah and just do it—whether we feel like it or not.
Nehemiah could have yielded to discouragement, and so might we, but we don’t need to. Like Nehemiah, we can know the truth about our Enemy and our God, rely on God’s power through prayer, and keep moving forward in God’s good plans for us.
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