Nehemiah was a prophet of God. Besides being a prophet, he served as a cupbearer for King Artaxerxes. A wonderful story, found in the book of Nehemiah, takes place during the time the prophet served King Artaxerxes.

A man named Hanani and some of the men of Judah went to see Nehemiah. Nehemiah asked them about the welfare of the Jews who were in captivity. He also asked them about the condition of the city of Jerusalem.

In verse 3 of chapter 1, these men described the Jewish nation and the Holy City. “And they said unto me, the remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach: the wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire.”

When Nehemiah heard this, he wept, mourned and fasted. These were his people, and the city was the place of worship for the Jews. Nehemiah knew that something must be done, and he knew he needed God’s help. So, he prayed to God. In his prayer he confessed the sins of the Jewish people, and he confessed his own sins. He admitted that the people had not kept God’s commandments.

When Nehemiah went in to serve the king, the king asked him why he looked so sad. Nehemiah told him about the sad condition of Jerusalem, and he asked for permission to go to Judah to rebuild the city.

The king not only allowed him to go, but he gave him letters to give those under his rule that he might meet along the way. These letters would grant him safe passage and timber from the forest for the walls of the city.

When he arrived in Jerusalem, he settled himself and then went out in secret at night to view the city. The gates of the city were burned, and he determined he would rebuild them.

Three men, Sanballat, Tobiah, and Geshem, found out about Nehemiah’s plan, and they made fun of him. Nehemiah 2:19 (KJV) says, “They laughed us to scorn, and despised us.” Nehemiah was convicted in this plan to work for God. He told them, “The God of heaven, He will prosper us; therefore His servants will arise and build” Nehemiah 2:20.

They started with the sheep gate. This is the same gate mentioned in Matthew 5 where Jesus healed the man at the Pool of Bethesda. Different groups worked side-by-side to rebuild the walls of this sacred city. In spite of the ridicule, they worked diligently.

Sanballat was angry and made fun of the Jews, but Nehemiah and the Jews built the wall. In Nehemiah 4:6, the scripture says, “For the people had a mind to work.”

The Jews had faced captivity, humiliation, threats on their lives, and much hard work. They had determination, and they wanted to work. That desire to work kept them going!

A lack of a desire to work is often the reason we can’t accomplish things today. We don’t want to work! We wait for someone else to do our job. We allow others to discourage us. What we need is desire and courage to do the Lord’s work.

John 9:4 says, “We must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day; the night cometh, when no man can work.”  We should work when the opportunities present themselves. May we all have a mind to work.

Sandra Oliver