I was at a retreat last week connecting with some missionary-pastors and their wives. I’m on the board of a ministry which sends these faithful saints to lesser-known (some of them WAY lesser-known) rural places in America. Many of these places are smaller than small towns — in a bygone era they were referred to frequently as “villages.” And for over 75 years, Village Missions has been sending these called shepherds to small, country churches. The Mission pays the salary where the church can’t afford a salary. It cares for these missionary-pastors and their families in these more remote places so they know they aren’t alone. All in all, it was a great week to hear their stories as they took a week to rest, renew, and re-energize. Know of someone who is being called into pastoral ministry and has a missionary bent? Point them in the direction of VM.

And as I hung with these fellow laborers and got to hear them share about their work, I was also reading in Nehemiah and was reminded of something concerning his work.

Opposition. The enemies of God. They have a way of showing up when God’s people, called to God’s work, start laying it down. Nehemiah’s case in point? A restoration project back in “the province Beyond the River” (Neh. 2:7).

Stirred by God, confirmed through prayer, Nehemiah, a Jewish cupbearer to the Persian King, asks his boss for a leave to return to his homeland, Israel, to attend to rebuilding the walls of its capital, Jerusalem. And because “the good hand of my God was upon me”, says Nehemiah, the king grants his request (Neh. 2:5-8).

But the favor of the king, and the good hand of his God, were not to be confused with no opposition to the undertaking. From the get-go, there were those in power who were “displeased” at Nehemiah’s return and intent (Neh. 2:9). The enemies of God’s people “jeered” at Nehemiah & Co., and “despised” them as they made preparation to rebuild the wall. As the work got underway, and as progress was being made, “they were angry and greatly enraged” and continued to taunt the workers (Neh. 4:1). But the people had a mind to work, and the wall was being “joined to together” (Neh. 4:6).

And, as the height of the wall increased, so did the counteraction. The enemies of God “plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and to cause confusion in it” (Neh. 4:7). But when the walls-builders added swords and spears to their toolkits, when they by faith looked to the Lord, “who is great and awesome” and believed that “our God will fight for us”, their enemies backed down and the walls continued to raise up (Neh. 4:14-23).

But then, a change in tactic. Rather than brute force leveled at all God’s people, the enemy targets Nehemiah specifically. They wanted to “meet together” to talk things through. “But,” says Nehemiah, “they intended to me harm” (Neh. 6:2). They then start a smear campaign. They write letters to the king making false accusations that Nehemiah’s real intention in wanting to the rebuild Jerusalem was to rebel against the king. But Nehemiah stood fast amidst the dirty politics and fake news knowing that what they really wanted was to “frighten us, thinking, ‘Their hands will drop from the work, and it will not be done'” (Neh. 6:8-9). As a last resort, they then go after Nehemiah’s character, trying to trip him up in sin, “so they could give me a bad name in order to taunt me” (Neh. 6:13).

The opposition was relentless.

Yet the work was accomplished.

So the wall was finished on the twenty-fifth day of the month Elul, in fifty-two days. And when all our enemies heard of it, all the nations around us were afraid and fell greatly in their own esteem, for they perceived that this work had been accomplished with the help of our God.

(Nehemiah 6:15-16 ESV)

This work had been accomplished with the help of our God . . . That’s what I’m chewing on this morning.

Fifty-two days. Two months. Doesn’t seem like a lot of time to rebuild the walls around a great city. But it wasn’t just two months of focused, hard labor, it was two months of persistent physical and mental assault by God’s enemies. While the people had a mind to work, their enemies had a mind to demoralize and derail. And yet, the work was accomplished.

How? With the help of our God.

Whether it’s rebuilding the wall of an ancient city or building the kingdom of heaven in small, rural communities, the work of God will certainly encounter opposition. But God’s work will prevail!

With the help of our God.

“I will build My church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” ~ Jesus

(Matthew 16:18 ESV)

By His grace. For His glory.