READ: Nehemiah 4
The WHOLE chapter? Yes... 'cause it's a wonderful example of people getting excited, then getting discouraged, then getting energized, then getting things accomplished. So NOW go ahead and read the WHOLE chapter, k...
I was reading an article the other day, and it was talking about discouragement - the article stated that discouragement is 3 things: universal, recurring, and contagious. Universal because we all can become discouraged; recurring because it often doesn't take much to get discouraged again and again; and contagious because if you're discouraged, then others around you might also be discouraged - it just kinda flows out of us and into others! And then I thought of Nehemiah. He was a leader of the Jewish people. They had just returned from being in exile in Babylon, and discovered that the walls around Jerusalem had been destroyed. They wanted to rebuild so they would be safe from their enemies. They started out, full of vim and vigour, spit and vinegar if you will, but soon became discouraged. If we look at Nehemiah 4:6 and then 4:12, we see a world of difference:
Nehemiah 4:6
So we rebuilt the wall until all of it reached half its height, for the people worked with all their heart...
Nehemiah 4:12
Then the Jews who lived near them came and told us 10 times over, "Wherever you turn, they will attack you".
Hmm... what was once excitement now became discouragement. Why? They worked long hours, worked very hard, didn't even change their clothes. They were drained, emotionally and physically, and they were only halfway done! And isn't that when we, too, often become discouraged - we get halfway to our goal, and cannot for the life of us seem to get motivated to continue. This leads to... well, you know! It's like wanting to lose 50 lbs - you lose the first 25 lbs fairly easily, but then... I mean, how difficult is it to lose the rest, or anymore for that matter! Yup, it's real - discouragement sets in, and it's never a good thing.
Nehemiah 4:14
Nehemiah said, “After I looked things over, I stood up and said to the nobles, the officials, and the rest of the people, `Don’t be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome".
You know, it CAN be done - discouragement CAN be defeated and we CAN re-energized once again. How, you might ask? Glad you did... GOD. Yup, GOD. There's this neat book in the Bible, one the apostle Paul wrote to the Philippians, and in it, there's this verse that maybe should become the life-verse of each of us who believe in Jesus:
Philippians 4:13
I can do ALL things through CHRIST [Jesus] who gives me strength.
There you go - it's there, in black and white - words to live by.
I CAN DO ALL THINGS BECAUSE OF THE STRENGTH I HAVE IN JESUS.
It's not at all about us, 'cause we don't have the oomph to do what we can do if we just let God do it, if we just do it in His strength. The post-exile Jews realized this, after being reminded by Nehemiah (!), and so they moved forward, building their little hearts out until they had completely rebuilt the wall. "Not because of who I am, but because of what You've done" - it's not what we can do, but rather what we can do because of what Jesus has done for us! Yuppers... and that can, and will, drive any discouragement away that we might have!
Ever watch the show "Friendly Giant"? (I'm dating myself, I know!) He would instruct viewers to see him by saying to them, "Look up... waaaaaay up". Well, the Jews, under Nehemiah, accomplished great things because they did His work in His strength! And that means that, next time you feel discouraged - feel down - look up... waaaaay up... it's there that we find our strength.
PRAYER
God, help us to realize it's not about us, but about you. Help us to always be seeking you and your strength, in order to accomplish the great things you want us to accomplish.
Amen.
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