But we prayed to our God and posted a guard day and night to meet this threat.
When my
husband told me last week to sit down and meet with him, I was thrilled. For
one, I love meetings. Seeing the big picture down to every detail energizes me.
And second, it’s a joy for wives when husbands take the lead. Putting us on
dependent-mode make us more secure, and the submission easier too. Anyway, our
talk was around financial management. Nearing our forties, we recognize the need
to rethink our priorities (and principles) in areas of saving, giving, and spending.
The initial brainstorming readily posed a threat to our cravings and
conveniences. We’re sure it’l continue
to tempt us daily. And so, aside from
provision, we sought the Lord’s protection and power to resist the lure. Plus, we wrote down our action plans.
Chapter four
of Nehemiah started with the name Sanballat and later joined by Tobiah, the
Arabs, the Ammonites and the men of Ashrod. These men were Judah’s tormentors.
They employed themselves fulltime with a single task: making sure Jerusalem
walls stay burned and dead! First, they threw large heaps of insults to the people.
The intention of calling them feeble and their work frail was to slow them down
with self-doubts ‘til they succumb to defeat. Second, they literally plotted to attack their
lives. I wonder how many moms considered pulling out their men with such high-risk
jobs (and no pay!). Commendably, in both hits, Nehemiah united the people to respond
in prayer and to continue the hardwork. No vengeful looks. No throwing back of very
hard breads. But they did tighten their defenses. Not that they don’t fully expect
God’s protection. It’s more of God wanting them to exercise
His wisdom in plotting these precautions.
With the big
battles in our lives - - financial burdens, relationship conflicts, career failures,
health issues - - I’m sure like me, you
wished today’s verse would just say ‘they prayed and were saved.’ But just like
in 1 Peter 5:7, the soothing ‘Cast all your cares on Him because He cares for
you’ did not end there. It continued with ‘Be alert. Watch out. Resist the
enemy. Stand firm in the faith’. Really strong words! And if we read further,
just before we land on the beautiful promise of ‘He will restore, support, and
strengthen you, and He will place you on a firm foundation’, we’ll see the
phrase: ‘So after you have suffered a little while...’ That ‘little’ word there
was supposed to give us hope. Add to that a little faith which can
move mountains! So, like Nehemiah and the people of Judah, let’s not give our
enemy the pleasure of seeing us down or distracted. We prepare to defeat them
by calling on God, and then the two plus-es: we continue with our work heartily
and we check our faith defenses regularly. Period.