Often, when I walk around my neighborhood on trash day, especially after they have picked up trash, there will be scraps on the street that fell out of the can as it was picked up by the truck. Most of the time, I look at that trash and shake my head, thinking about how it isn’t hard to pick up the scraps that fall out, but they don’t. Simultaneously, I just walk or run by leaving the mess. Complaining is easy, but making a change requires vision and a desire to contribute to solving the problems in our world rather than just becoming a spectator. If we see something wrong, it is not enough to simply point out the problem; we all must work together to fix it. Similarly, strength doesn’t happen by thinking about getting stronger because no person has gotten in shape by only resolving to go to the gym more. We must resolve to get stronger and utilize the resources around us to implement a plan. While the clarity of our vision guides us and keeps us focused on our path, we have to recognize the resources around us and utilize them in our actions. Similarly, Nehemiah saw the state of Jerusalem. Relying on the call God had given him to rebuild the city, he looked around and worked with the people around him, rallying them to join the cause of rebuilding.

Then I said to them, “You see the trouble we are in, how Jerusalem lies in ruins with its gates burned. Come, let us build the wall of Jerusalem, that we may no longer suffer derision.” And I told them of the hand of my God that had been upon me for good, and also of the words that the king had spoken to me. And they said, “Let us rise up and build.” So they strengthened their hands for the good work. But when Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite servant and Geshem the Arab heard of it, they jeered at us and despised us and said, “What is this thing that you are doing? Are you rebelling against the king?” Then I replied to them, “The God of heaven will make us prosper, and we his servants will arise and build, but you have no portion or right or claim in Jerusalem.”

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Nehemiah 2:17-20.

God’s purpose for us is to participate in missions together, not billions of solitary movements going in billions of different directions. Nehemiah recognized that the work of building up Jerusalem again was not his solitary responsibility but required the work of the people in the area to put their hands to the task. He enjoined them in God’s vision for repairing the walls because they shared the vision of the current state of disrepair. Therefore, before we consider sharing God’s mission with others, we must first recognize the great provision God has given us in the people around us. Because even in our most lonely times, God has people beside us that we must lean upon to carry some of that burden because God’s vision is for the community, not just us. After God places us in a community, we must share the marvelous work God has already done. Our words are meant to encourage the people around us, as they show what God has done and will share a vision for what God is doing for our world.

Once the vision is shared, we must get ourselves in a position to do the work. Just as the people’s echoes rose after hearing about the vision, Nehemiah was empowered to begin rebuilding with the strength of many hands. God’s vision rang true in their hearts, and Nehemiah was encouraged to implement the plan. Even though our vision might be clear when we look at any task at hand, we might find ourselves in a place where it feels far too daunting to take on God’s mission. Just as every time I look at my garage, I want to run because organizing it feels as if it might be impossible. However, I know that with the help of the people beside me, it can be accomplished, and if those voices say let’s do it together, it can get done. Just as Nehemiah shared the vision, and the hands of the people were readied to work, we must place ourselves in a position where when we hear the voice of God speak through the echoes of the people, we must be ready to go to work.

Being ready to work is not enough, though; hope is necessary to keep us focused on God’s purpose for the mission in our lives. Nehemiah immediately faced resistance from those challenged by God’s new vision to rejuvenate Jerusalem. However, because God’s hope was foundational to Nehemiah’s vision for Jerusalem, the jeering and clamoring for the work of rebuilding to stop before it had even begun did not discourage the workers; instead, they leaned upon that hope and were able to speak God’s truth to the opposition. Undoubtedly, we will also encounter roadblocks to the success of God’s mission. Sometimes, those roadblocks come from outside the community, with people bringing discouraging words or, worse, actively working to hamper our abilities to carry out the work through legal threats or violence. However, most of the time, just as in Nehemiah’s situation, the roadblocks come from within the community, where the bickering and words attempting to pull people away from God’s mission threaten to halt the work of the community. Our response to any roadblock would be to rely on hope given to us by God. Reliance on our strength or the strength of others will ultimately fail, just as when we place our trust in man-made things, they will ultimately let us down. Nehemiah provides us with an example of not leaning on the king’s words but on hope embedded in the vision of a rejuvenated Jerusalem.

The vision God granted us is like the vision Nehemiah received of a rejuvenated Jerusalem. The clear direction we are called to follow leads to a community that is blessed and full of revival, where people turn from sin into the blessed arms of God. We aren’t simply passive recipients of God’s action in our community; we have been called to share God’s vision with our community, not merely as information but as invitational, so that God’s calling and vision involve their action and empowerment. God’s work is not done to a community but through a community, which Nehemiah was well aware of. He sought the participation of the people in Jerusalem in repairing the walls and restoring the city. Hope can overcome all the roadblocks we face, not because we are particularly skilled, but because we serve a wonderful God.

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Published by JRMITCH85

I am often asked what describes you, which is a hard answer because sometimes I move in a thousand different directions. Some call me an engineer, others call me pastor, a few call me captain, some call me friend, others call me dad, and one calls me sweetheart. All of these things are descriptors and are accurate, but they don't fully capture me. My favorite place is in the mountains, enjoying the beauty of nature and God's creation, running and hiking around with my family and friends, and taking photos to cement the memories. However, the people that know me the best know that my favorite thing to do is come up with crazy adventures that push the limits of what our minds and bodies can do. My faith in God is important to me and drives me to look at creation the way I do. Because of my faith, I look at these adventures and running races from Half Marathons all the way to 24 hour races, as well as several Obstacle Course Races, as an opportunity to push the body God gave me as an act of worship. Hopefully, someday soon, I look toward running longer races and bigger adventures. My hope is that humanity can understand that the wild is a gift, and we need to care for it and quit destroying it by the way we live.

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