Ezra and Nehemiah were contemporaries and they both wrote about the rebuilding of Jerusalem, which occurred many years after its destruction by the Babylonians, led by Nebuchadnezzar. Ezra wrote about the rebuilding of the temple under Zerubbabel, while Nehemiah wrote concerning the rebuilding of Jerusalem’s wall.
God did amazing things in 52 days through Nehemiah and Ezra, who took it upon themselves to rebuild the crumbled walls of Jerusalem. They embraced the challenge with a resolute faith despite unbelievable obstacles, fully convinced that the hand of the Lord was with them. God acted!
So, what can God do for us in 52 days? What are the crumbled walls God can rebuild in our lives? The Heart of Nehemiah. I love Nehemiah. I love his determination, his ability to lead, and most of all, Nehemiah has the heart of Jesus. His spirit was burned by those living in brokenness. This burden will lead to action, action will lead to revival.
Scientific Laws of Revival:
Objects at rest tend to stay at rest. The people had been living in the ruins for almost 100 years. The exiles returned to Jerusalem in 536 B.C. and Nehemiah begins his ministry in 445 B.C.
Objects in motion tend to stay in motion. Nothing would stand in the way of Nehemiah completing his task.
For every action, there is an opposite reaction. You would think that everyone would want revival. Sanballat and Tobiah were enemies of good. They try everything to discourage, intimidate, and ridicule the people of God. There will be times the church and lives will be no less spiritually broken than Jerusalem was in Nehemiah’s day.
What can we learn from Nehemiah?
DETERMINATION: Neh.1:4-11 He prayed and fasted…. There was a cost involved…. Jesus wants us to know the COST of following Him: Luke 9:23 “If anyone wants to follow me…” Luke 9:62 “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in God’s Kingdom.”
DIRECTION Neh. 2:17,18 He invested himself and the people to the task of rebuilding the wall. We are to be interested in WHAT Jesus is interested in! Invest in what He invested in! Luke 19:10: seek & save.
DEPENDENCE: Neh.1:11 He was dependent on the God of Israel, not Artaxerxes. We must COMPLETELY trust Jesus! Matt. 6: Do not worry about life, body, eat or drink, clothes.
DEDICATION Neh.12:27ff; Neh.4-6. He deals with oppression from within and without. Matt. 5:10-12 (persecution); 2 Tim. 3:12 (all those who live a godly life will be persecuted).
DESTINY Neh. 9,10 The people repent… and remember what God has done through the ages…the covenant is sealed. Rom. 8:1, 35-39. II Cor. 5:17 “If anyone is in Christ he is a new creation, the old is gone, the new has come.”
What will we/you ALLOW God to do in your life in 52 days? For the next 52 days: Will you have a new Determination, Direction, Dependence, Dedication, and Destiny?
Bill Dayton