Read Nehemiah 3:1-32.

God had patiently urged His people time and again to stop living for themselves, to abandon false gods, and to renew their commitment to Him. They stubbornly refused and, consequently, suffered exile. After seventy years (see Jeremiah 25:11-12), the people of Judah were allowed to return. But their once great land was ruined.

God, however, granted Nehemiah favor with the king of Persia. This king permitted him to return to Jerusalem to repair its walls. When Nehemiah surveyed what remained of those walls, he wept. You may look around at the state of the world and weep as well. But like Nehemiah, we can’t stop at weeping; there is work to do. Like Nehemiah, we must ask God, “What would You have me do to repair the broken walls around me—to change my world?”

Nehemiah 3 reveals God’s incredible blueprint for His people then and for us today. First, it was all hands on deck. God’s work cannot be done unless everyone is involved. Nehemiah 3 repeats one powerful phrase again and again: “And next to them.” The people came together as one to rebuild the walls. When we prayerfully join together like this in our local churches, God will bless the work of our hands. 

Second, Nehemiah realized there was work for everybody—a great variety of needs to meet. The people didn’t merely hope and pray for the change they wanted to see, they cooperated and got to work. We, too, must remember that we are partners with God in the work He is doing in our communities. Not one of us is unimportant to His mission.

Finally, we need to be people who encourage and affirm one another. Each one under Nehemiah’s leadership did their part. Anyone can complain or scoff at what they are asked to do, but it takes a heart after God’s own heart to say, “I want my life to count for something great for God.” That’s the kind of heart’s desire we should affirm in one another. Let’s confirm a servant spirit, a commitment to the Lord, a good character, and a godly lifestyle. These are what will honor God, revive our hearts, and bear witness to the world that we serve the only true foundation, Jesus Christ.

Prayer: Lord, give me eyes to see my gifts and wisdom to use them for Your Kingdom in the body of believers. I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.

“Next to them, repairs were made by men from Gibeon and Mizpah . . . Uzziel son of Harhaiah, one of the goldsmiths, repaired the next section; and Hananiah, one of the perfume-makers, made repairs next to that. They restored Jerusalem as far as the Broad Wall” (Nehemiah 3:7-8).

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