Standing up to Challenges

Every day, or most every day at least, we are faced with challenges. Personal, professional, environmental, financial, familial, health, the list is quite daunting if you think about it. Yet we persevere for the most part and overcome obstacles every day of our lives to do what we need to do to survive or be happy.

But every once in a while, along comes a challenge we seem to shrink from. We lose our determination, our faith to see it through, and sometimes even the direction to do so. At times the challenge can seem so overwhelming you may throw up your hands and retreat in fear. What to do?

Can you think of a serious challenge you were faced with? What did you do when you faced a situation you did not think you could face and overcome? How serious was it? Some are life-threatening. Others may be harmful to your profession or health.

There are many instances in which the Bible talks about people overcoming huge odds to fulfill what seemed like overwhelming odds- Noah, Moses, David, Nehemiah, just to name a few.

Most Christians are familiar with these characters, though Nehemiah may escape many. Nehemiah was faced with a challenge when he was called to repair the walls of Judah when they had been destroyed.

This was no ordinary call- God called Nehemiah to restore the wall of Jerusalem. A wall was of the utmost importance to a city in that day. It was not only a symbol of their wealth but obviously a security device, and one which provided a sense of community. To not have a wall caused great embarrassment and heartache, and left the people vulnerable to attack.

Consider your own home if it had no walls. Your life is completely open to all around you to impose their will. A very difficult position to be in to say the least.

Nehemiah petitioned his King, Artaxerxes, to be permitted to leave for a period to accomplish this work. Imagine that for a moment- asking your king to go serve someone else for a while. That would be quite a task in and of itself.

But the challenges came later when Nehemiah arrived in Judah. Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites and the men of Ashdod heard what the Jews were trying to accomplish and were critical. With the wall, the Jews would be more secure and less vulnerable to their will. This would not do.

The potentially imminent threat of attack forced the Jews to build the wall while maintaining a vigilance against attack from their enemies. The had spears and swords at the ready while laboring in the sun. Building a wall was challenging enough, but to be asked to do so in the heat AND be prepared to fight at a moment's notice as well? The stress must have been insurmountable. If that was not enough, the men also pulled guard duty at night to ensure the city was defended.

With God's help, the wall was completed in only 52 days- far shorter a time than the enemies of Jerusalem had expected, so they KNEW this was God's work and feared it mightily, knowing an attack on the city was an attack on God himself.

Do you think you are any different? Do you think, if you are doing God's work you are any less blessed than the people of Jerusalem? Of course not. Our walls are different today, but they are torn and attacked every day by our enemies. Strengthen YOUR walls by realizing God's will is being done in your life. Thank Him for the challenges He has given you for the greater the challenge, the greater the faith and the greater character that is developed.