Tom had reached out to a friend for prayer. As he conveyed his request, the individual began to pray over his need. When the prayer concluded, Tom humbly stated, “Please stay on the wall.”
Tom understood the effectiveness of the Christian who tirelessly commits himself to sharing the Gospel of Christ. In that same token, Tom knew all too well the intense desire of the enemy to deter the Christian from staying on the wall through various means (e.g. discouragement, weariness, etc.). Tom knew that for people to be reached, including himself, Christians must stay on the wall, instead of climbing down and walking away from a God-called mission.
The man uttered, “Please, stay on the wall.”Tweet
Years prior, an urgent need touched the heart of a man named Nehemiah. God used the hardship to move Nehemiah not only to a period of prayer, but to one of action as well.
“The words of Nehemiah the son of Hacaliah. Now it happened in the month Chislev, in the twentieth year, while I was in Susa the capitol, 2that Hanani, one of my brothers, and some men from Judah came; and I asked them concerning the Jews who had escaped and had survived the captivity, and about Jerusalem. 3They said to me, ‘The remnant there in the province who survived the captivity are in great distress and reproach, and the wall of Jerusalem is broken down and its gates are burned with fire.’ 4When I heard these words, I sat down and wept and mourned for days; and I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven” (Nehemiah 1:1-4).
Not only were the people discouraged, but they were in danger. Why? Because the walls that had once surrounded and protected them were now broken down. The walls needed to be rebuilt, and God called Nehemiah to the special task of rebuilding.
As Nehemiah embarked on the mission God had called him to, fierce enemies often met him on the path. Continuously, the adversaries came with snarling remarks and fearful tactics. Their goal? To get Nehemiah and the people to cease work on the walls.
“Now when it was reported to Sanballat, Tobiah, to Geshem the Arab and to the rest of our enemies that I had rebuilt the wall, and that no breach remained in it, although at that time I had not set up the doors in the gates, 2then Sanballat and Geshem sent a message to me, saying, ‘Come, let us meet together at Chephirim in the plain of Ono.’ But they were planning to harm me. 3So I sent messengers to them, saying, ‘I am doing a great work and I cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and come down to you?’” (Nehemiah 6:1-3).
God called Nehemiah to pray—to go—to rebuild—and to remain on the wall until the mission was accomplished.Tweet
Notice once more Nehemiah’s response to the ongoing threats of the enemy:
FIRST: Nehemiah focused on the mission at hand: “I am doing a great work.”
—Nehemiah knew what he had been called to do, and why he had been called to do it. Next, he recognized who it was that had called him to the work, and this caused him to spotlight the labor as one of greatness!
SECOND: Nehemiah recognized the importance of the wall, and its benefit to others: “I cannot come down.”
—Within Nehemiah’s few words, “I cannot come down,” reflected the heart of a man who knew that his mission was not about himself, but instead, about the needs of others’ safety and protection. Nehemiah comprehended the importance and the benefit of the wall being rebuilt. Furthermore, Nehemiah was called to act courageously with great perseverance to see the wall to completion.
THIRD: Nehemiah remembered his calling (giving allegiance to God), rebuffed the enemies (by not giving them power), remained steadfast,= (continuing the work), and refused to leave his post (standing firmly in his position) even in the midst of opposition. “Why should the work stop while I leave it and come down to you?”
Nehemiah posed a question to his foes in order to make a lasting declaration. “Why should the work stop while I leave it and come down to you?”Tweet
Have you ever witnessed individual leadership climbing down from the walls instead of manning their post, due to the enemies’ taunts?
Every single day we are given to live, we have an opportunity to impact others for the Kingdom. In so doing, we can either stay on the wall carrying out the work God has called us to, or we can allow discouragement and criticisms from the enemy to talk us down from the wall God has assigned to us.
May I encourage all of us today to do the following:
First: Refuse to lose our focus. Remember, for such a time as this, we have been called to do the task in front of us. Focus on Jesus instead of on the problems. Second: Recognize the importance of what God has called us to do. Third: Remember our calling (giving allegiance to God), rebuff the enemies (by not giving them power), remain steadfast (continuing the work), and refuse to leave our post (standing firmly in our positions) even amidst opposition.
Onward soldiers! Someone needs you! Please stay on the wall!
O’Shea
