Tuesday, May 22

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TUESDAY

“Don’t be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your families, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes.” Nehemiah 4:14b

I couldn’t help myself … I had to stay with the Nehemiah story for another day. 

Nehemiah 4

¹³ Therefore I stationed some of the people behind the lowest points of the wall at the exposed places, posting them by families, with their swords, spears and bows. ¹⁴ 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, and fight for your families, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes.”

15 When our enemies heard that we were aware of their plot and that God had frustrated it, we all returned to the wall, each to our own work.

16 From that day on, half of my men did the work, while the other half were equipped with spears, shields, bows and armor. The officers posted themselves behind all the people of Judah ¹⁷ who were building the wall. Those who carried materials did their work with one hand and held a weapon in the other, ¹⁸ and each of the builders wore his sword at his side as he worked. But the man who sounded the trumpet stayed with me.

¹⁹ Then I said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people, “The work is extensive and spread out, and we are widely separated from each other along the wall. ²⁰ Wherever you hear the sound of the trumpet, join us there. Our God will fight for us!”

²¹ So we continued the work with half the men holding spears, from the first light of dawn till the stars came out. ²² At that time I also said to the people, “Have every man and his helper stay inside Jerusalem at night, so they can serve us as guards by night and as workers by day.” ²³ Neither I nor my brothers nor my men nor the guards with me took off our clothes; each had his weapon, even when he went for water.

Re-read verse 20. Because the work was extensive and spread out, and families could feel isolated, we read that Nehemiah came up with a plan: “Whenever you hear the sound of the trumpet, join us there. Our God will fight for us!” When the wall is breeched, we must all come running and fight together. And that’s when God shows up and fights for us as well. Did you catch that part? It’s only after families come together, that it says God “will fight for us.”

God fights for us and yet we must fight for our families. Listen to the last part of verse 14: “…and fight for your brothers, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes.” This is the right fight! Don’t be surprised if your family feels like a war zone, but instead of fighting each other, begin fighting for each other. Don’t give up on your wayward child—pray unceasingly. Don’t bail on your parents—they didn’t get an undergraduate degree in parenting. Each “season” they are improving their skills. Serve your siblings. Love your spouse recklessly regardless of how that love is reciprocated. Fight for your family! Do not loose heart. If you don’t know where to start, begin by letting go of your selfishness and relentlessly serve your family MORE! Getting outside of yourself will be a beacon in your family and in time will affect the core of your home.

Bruce McEvoy
Pastor of Family and Serving