Nehemiah had to deal with distractions. He had people who had power trying to convince him that God’s purpose was wrong, that Nehemiah was being prideful, that the king was going to change his mind and stop Nehemiah away. The hardships that were all around him, the struggles that his people were facing, trying to keep them and himself focused on the work at hand, and it was a great distraction but at the same time it wasn’t.
Even when faced with all that was being said and plotted, Nehemiah still kept coming back to God. Nehemiah trusted God even in the face of all these distractions and threats. Nehemiah listened to God and acted. Nehemiah trusted God to such an extent that He trusted God as his refuge, as his sanctuary. This sanctuary was more precious than a building, than a wall. The relationship with God was Nehemiah’s sanctuary that kept him going.
What are the distractions that you are facing today?
Is it the health problems that you are facing? Maybe it is the constant arguing with a loved one. It could be the struggles that you are having with money. Maybe it is the stresses at work and the self doubt that is deep in your soul. The world’s problems and the hate that is spewed forth sometimes about yourself and sometimes about those you love. Yet through all these distractions and problems one of the greatest problems that we face is that we don’t know or remember the purpose that God has given us. Without knowing the purpose before you, it is easy to give into the distractions.
Too often we think our purpose is an external accomplishment but Jesus continually points to the purpose of being the people of God, living with integrity, acting and speaking the truth of God. Nehemiah did not give into fear but trusted in God Himself for everything he needed and lived his life in that trust, and lived out his life and changed the world around him, not for his benefit but living in the will of God.