Nehemiah is one of my favorite Bible heroes. He was brave, well-respected, determined and compassionate and he was a builder of things eternal. All things that I’d like to be true in my own life. But there is another trait of Nehemiah that I deeply admire. One that I not only want to emulate but also one that we can all take encouragement and counsel from.
Nehemiah was a consensus-builder.
Let me begin by clarifying what I mean by that term “consensus-builder”. What I mean as well as what I do not mean.
I do not mean that he accomplished much by compromising or by getting people to agree on things. I do not mean that his goal was unity (at great cost) nor that he cared about the opinions of others. And certainly not that he condoned sin. Those definitions would not apply to Nehemiah.
What I mean by “consensus-builder” is found in parts of several verses. Check out chapter 3 and notice phrases such as “next to him”, “next to them”, “also made repairs”, and verses 28 and 30 - “each on front of his own house” and “in front of his own quarters”, respectively.
These phrases describe the work Nehemiah initiated and led to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem after the annihilation of the city and subsequent exile of her people in Babylon. The temple had been rebuilt after many delays and amid much opposition. But the once beautiful city was still in shambles. The walls surrounding her - necessary for protection against future attacks - were broken and burned. In other words, dysfunctional. And Nehemiah, while serving as cupbearer to King Artaxerxes, was brokenhearted for his homeland.
Out of his heartbreak, God led and granted royal favor for Nehemiah to return to Jerusalem for the very purpose of rebuilding the wall, restoring what was broken. The book by the same name records that project and in that process is where we find him to be a “consensus-builder”.
The task Nehemiah faced was vast, even daunting. Not only would the work itself be difficult but there was opposition from his enemies which threatened to halt the efforts. How did he manage to accomplish so great a task in such a short period of time (52 days - and that is without the convenience of modern day construction tools!)?
He built consensus.
The courage, determination, and obedience displayed by Nehemiah touched the hearts of his people; the evidence of their response is seen in chapter 4, verse 6 - for the people had a mind to work. Notice that God did not - though He certainly could have - speak the walls into repair with just a word. Rather, God allowed the people to experience the joy of building with Him, participating in the process and perhaps being reminded of the sin that ultimately led to the brokenness to begin with. Jerusalem needed protection. The walls needed to be restored to their intended purpose. The people needed to work and they had a mind to do so.
The task was indeed daunting but with their heart to work and their realization that it could be accomplished if each one was faithful right where they were - each in front of his house. What could not have been done by the one was completed by the many - each one did the work that was right before him.
What can we learn from this? That the brokenness all around us needs more than attention. It needs God’s people who have a mind to work. Pray, yes, absolutely, but do not neglect the work. Restoration takes work. Rebuilding is hard. Repairing the damage around us calls for our participation.
And the task seems huge. In fact, it is huge! Perhaps even insurmountable. But God has not called us to fix it all. Just the broken part in front of us. Each one, in front of his/her own quarters.
I see this happening. I bet you do, too. I think about my many dear friends who foster precious children, caring for them for years, often leading to permanent adoption. That the foster system is broken is not in question. That the needs of these children are immense is obvious. So much so that it seems irreparable and insurmountable. But many of God’s people have a mind to work. And they have set out to repair the section in front of them. Brick by brick - one child at a time - these people are rebuilding the broken wall.
I think of a friend who mentors at risk students in middle school. One woman and so many needs. She cannot possibly take care of them all. But one student at a time, one weekly meeting at a time, she is rebuilding the wall that is broken in front of her.
Another friend spends untold hours counseling and comforting women in crisis marital situations. Sometimes it seems as though she is not doing any good and that one doesn’t get helped before three more arise. But marriage by marriage, truth and encouragement one bite at a time, she is repairing the broken walls in front of her.
A college student I know is forging a friendship with a campus organization that is not of his own faith. Not for the purpose of converting them but rather in an effort to build friendships that can lead to better understanding of one another. One friendship at a time, this student is restoring the walls around him that are broken.
A group of college students prepares food and delivers to the area homeless population weekly. Not so much to feed them, they explain to me, but rather to build relationships with people that need to be valued and cared for. Broken walls that need repairing.
Another friend that wants her courageous pro-life stand to be more about what she is for than what she is against. So she is addressing the physical, emotional, educational and financial needs of women in unplanned pregnancies in order to help them choose life. Restoring the broken walls in front of her, and preventing more brokenness in the process.
You have your own stories of repairing the brokenness in front of you. I’d love to hear it. Please email me and let me know where God has given you “a mind to work” and the story of how you, too, are “carrying out the repairs in front of your own quarters”.
The task is huge. We cannot repair it all. But if each of us will take care of what is in front of us, we can accomplish the impossible. In record time.