As it turned out, Nee was right. God did not let any harm come to His people. Those inside the walls of Jerusalem and those in the villages surrounding Jerusalem are all safe. And, there are walls, completed, strong walls around Jerusalem now. While we worked it seemed like it would never be done, but it is! It only took fifty-two days!
Those who want to get rid of us are defeated in spirit and heart. They were right of course. The Jews could not build this mighty wall by ourselves, and in so short a time. God did it. Our enemies in the surrounding area have lost their nerve, their boldness. They proclaim (what we knew all along) that God has done this great work. They are still afraid to come up against us, and we live peacefully in this land God gave to our patriarch, Abraham.
Nee announced yesterday that he is stepping down from his roles as overseer of the work on the wall and as the commander in chief of the defense of Jerusalem. The nobles and elders persuaded him to accept the position of Governor, and to continue to act as a consultant for the new leaders. One of the first things he did was commission the priests, the singers, and the security guards. He also suggested putting Hanani and Hananiah in charge of Jerusalem. Nee said Hanani and Hananiah are men who are honest and fear God more than most others. And finally, Nee turned spiritual matters over to the scholar, Ezra.
Now, with a little down time available to him, Nee sits with us talking about the events of the last 6 – 8 months. He seems to want to talk about it, to get the lessons learned firmly planted in his head and heart. He wanted to impress upon himself, and us, how God works on our behalf. Nee said it like a prayer,
“God, show me what You want me to understand about Your ways. I am amazed at Your ways. I was a servant in the king’s palace, but You saw me. You picked me but I did not know what I could do. I didn’t know what time had done to Jerusalem and I had no idea where You wanted me to start. I had to come to Jerusalem, the home of my past, evaluate the damage, and come up with a plan. A plan that did not deny or ignore the brokenness brought about by the events of the past. A plan that takes a realistic look at the effects the past has had upon the physical wall – and the effects the past has had in our hearts and in our spiritual life. We were crumbling and our faith was falling apart. Repairs were (and still are) needed.
“You gave me plans for fixing the damage of the past in order to change the way things are now. You wanted to show our enemies that You can use the knowledge of the past and a realistic view of the damage to give us directions for making things right, now and in the future. I see now that You needed me to see the damage, and not just hear about it, so I could see You make things right. Now I see how You can repair every part of my life, physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual. Fixing the Jerusalem wall was the tool You used to change me, to change Your people. Now there is a future to look forward to.
“Thank You, Most Holy God. You are the rescuer of our people, our cities, and our hearts. You are all-powerful, and choose a relationship with us. You use us, with all our damages, all our hurts, and all our sins. What else can I say? Thank You is not enough. I am at a loss for the words that will praise you enough. I cannot comprehend all You are. Thank You.”
We listen and give thanks to God right along with Nee. Every time we see the wall, we will praise our God. From now and well into the future.
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