Removing the Rubble

By Susan Nichols, Fellowship Bible Church CR sister, October 18th, 2017

“After dark, I went out through the Valley Gate, past the Jackal’s Well, and over to the Dung Gate to inspect the broken walls and burned gates. Then I went to the Fountain Gate and to the King’s Pool, but my donkey couldn’t get through the rubble.”—Nehemiah 2:13-14 (NLT)

“Then the people of Judah began to complain, ‘The workers are getting tired, and there is so

much rubble to be moved. We will never be able to build the wall by ourselves.’”—Nehemiah

4:10 (NLT)

The book of Nehemiah tells the story of a defeated Jerusalem. The holy city has fallen, its walls destroyed and gates burned. Nehemiah, a cupbearer to the King of Persia, hears of the desolate condition of the city and its inhabitants. He is distressed by the news and returns to Israel to begin the work of rebuilding the walls that once protected the children of God.
I imagine that Nehemiah watched the people living in fear, knowing they had no protection
from enemy attacks. They were disgraced, having been crushed by their enemies. I can picture Nehemiah inspecting the walls of Jerusalem at night, guiding his donkey around massive piles of stone and rubble till he could go no further.

What went through his mind? 

Sadness? 

Anger?
Determination?

Lately, God has been asking me to inspect my own damaged walls. I admit there are some areas of my life I’ve refused to deal with despite His persistent ‘nudging,’. I haven’t wanted to look at the rubble, much less do the work of moving it. Yet, I know I won’t be able to assess the damage unless I move those stones out of the way. At times, I’ve tried to build new walls on top of the rubble, usually out of scorched stone and burnt timbers. The process of sorting through my experiences has taught me that there just aren’t any shortcuts. I know that might feel like bad news to those who are battle-weary and discouraged, but press on!

The Israelites met with much opposition during the fifty-two days it took them to close the gaps in the wall. They were mocked and ridiculed, their very lives were threatened. They became weary and were fearful of attack. Yet day by day and stone by stone, with God’s help, they continued the work until it was completed.

I, too, must bend my back (my will) to the task of rebuilding my life. If I continue to ignore my ramshackle walls, then I give the enemy an open invitation to work in my life. It’s only when I acknowledge the debris of painful experiences, shame, anger, and bitterness from my past that I can move forward and have the abundant life that Christ came to give me—the abundant life I want! He helps me to fit the stones together perfectly and stands guard over me as I do the work. It’s during these difficult times that I truly know Him more deeply as my paraclete—the One who comes alongside me to help me (John 15:26, ESV). I may, at times, dread or fear the work I know I must do, but I also know the end result will be well worth it! 

“So on October 2, the wall was finished—just fifty-two days after we had begun. When our enemies and the surrounding nations heard about it, they were frightened and humiliated. They realized this work had been done with the help of our God.” –Nehemiah 6:15 (NLT)
Father God, thank you for loving me. Thank you for being my Helper, my Protector, and my
Defender. Come alongside me today as I begin the task of sorting through the rubble of the things in life that have hurt me. Help me to dismantle the walls I’ve built to protect myself and help me to rebuild those walls according to Your plan and design. Amen! 

Many thanks to Anne Resler, author of “Rising from the Ruins: Restoring the Broken Places,” a study of  Nehemiah. Thank you, Anne, for the sacrifices you made to write this study. God is using it to change lives, mine included! 

Click HERE to listen to Glorious Ruins by Hillsong