It has been fun to camp out in the Old Testament book of Nehemiah for a time. If you listen to or read these daily devotionals you know that I love the Old Testament, as well as the New. There is so much to learn from both, but most believers don’t spend enough time in either, let alone the Old Testament. Yet the stories of men and women who followed God - or who were enemies of God - are powerful and we can learn so much from them. If it has been a while since you read Nehemiah, I would encourage you to do so. It is only 13 chapters long.

Nehemiah reminds us of the power of anyone who sees life from God’s point of view rather than their own. This is why he was troubled over the condition of God’s people. This is why he was willing to move from the comfort of the palace where he had the best job one could have, to the broken up city of Jerusalem to help the people rebuild the walls. This would not have happened if he was not also a man of faith and prayer. Time and time again through this book, we see Nehemiah shooting quick prayers to God and then asking the impossible because He believed in the God of the impossible.

Nehemiah also had grit, tenacity and resolve. At every turn he was threatened by his critics and enemies. Each of us knows that nothing happens of import in ministry without pushback. It may come from God’s people or not but behind it is the effort of the evil one to shut down the advancement of God’s kingdom. The thing about Nehemiah is that he saw it for what it was, called it for what it was, and both trusted God and took the precautions he needed to take. He was a man of great faith and great practicality. But he was not a man who could be intimidated. 

All of this because Nehemiah did not draw a distinction between what we often call the sacred (God’s arena) and the secular (our arena). For Nehemiah, all of life was sacred and our words, actions, and obedience included all of life. This is why Nehemiah became so angry when he heard that many people were mistreating the poor or marrying spouses from pagan neighbors. How we live, how we treat others, and how diligently we follow after God matters. He not only rebuilt the wall but he helped rebuild the spiritual convictions and practices of the people. Both mattered. There was not conflict between the sacred and the secular.

What drove Nehemiah? His love of God, His conviction that everything he did should please God, and his desire to leave a legacy that honored God. in Chapter 13:14 he sends up one of his short famous prayers to His Father. He says to God, “Remember me for this, O my God, and do not blot out what I have so faithfully done for the house of my God and its services.” His life was all about pleasing God.

Father, thank you for the examples of women and men in Scripture who put you first and showed us the way to follow you. Give me the heart, faith, tenacity, and obedience of Nehemiah and help me to never separate life into the sacred and the secular. For you it is all sacred. Amen.