Groggy. We wake up and look around. The cobwebs of confusion give way to the light streaming in the windows. We remember. We took a walk with Nee in the middle of the night. When we fell asleep, Nee had been laying flat on the floor talking to God. He’s still at it. We hear a bit of what he is saying, “O Master, listen to me, listen to Your servant’s prayer – and yes, to all Your servants who take great pleasure in honoring You – please, make me successful today . . .”
Nee sits up with a sigh. He looks over at us. He asks us to round up the leaders of Jerusalem. He says to be polite but insistent. He wants to end the secrecy. It had not been possible to keep Nee’s presence a secret, but he had not breathed a word to anyone about why he is here. It’s time to fill in Jerusalem’s leaders: the Jews, priests, nobles, local officials, us, and anyone else who would be needed to work on the plan (whatever that is; Nee has not explained it to us either).
With the leaders sitting around him, Nee said another quick prayer under his breath. He takes a deep breath in and slowly lets it out. He begins:
“God sent me messengers while I was in Babylon. They told me about the precarious condition of Jerusalem’s defenses. I could not believe it, but I knew they did not make the trek to Babylon as some bizarre joke. God answered my prayers and my king showed favor toward me. He encouraged my desire to come and see exactly what is going on here.
“I wanted to make an accurate assessment of the current conditions as they reflect the past damage. I’m here to tell you that because we did not deal with the problems of the past, things have continued to get worse. The present conditions require much work to restore Jerusalem’s walls – and Jerusalem itself – to a condition that honors God. We cannot live with the broken walls and burned up gates. We should not live with this disgrace any longer. It is time to do something.
“God has answered my prayers all along the way. I prayed while in Babylon for the king’s favor. The king sent me here with an armed escort, and permits to use the king’s lumber for whatever we need. I prayed when I first arrived in Jerusalem. I was able to go out and secretly assess the damages wrought by the past. I prayed after surveying the damage. God gave me direction and a plan for dealing with the current situation.
“It is time to use the information gathered, and the provision of God, to repair the wall. We are no longer restricted by our past. We are not worthless, useless, hopeless, or disobedient people. Stop living like that. Today I will lay down a plan for restoration. Yes, repairing the walls is part of that. More importantly, God has a plan for restoring us to a right relationship with Him, and a new powerful relationship with our neighboring nations.
“Are you ready to do what God wants you to do? Are you ready to shake loose from the events and situations of your past? Are you ready to allow God to work in your lives? Are you ready to live forgiven and right with God?
“Let’s pray . . .”
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