God's
people faced opposition. What did they do? They kept on working - "The
people worked with all their heart" (Nehemiah 4:6). They kept on
praying - "We prayed to our God" (Nehemiah 4:9). They were watchful
- "Those who carried materials did their work with one hand and held a
weapon in the other, and each of the builders wore his sword at his
side as he worked" (Nehemiah 4:17-18). God calls us to work for Him. As
we work, we must also pray. In all of our praying and working, we must
never forget that we are involved in spiritual warfare. In this battle
with our spiritual enemies, we can say with confidence, "Our God will
fight for us!" (Nehemiah 4:20). Revelation 17:14 speaks of conflict and
victory: "They will make war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will
overcome them because He is Lord of lords and King of kings - and with
Him will be His called, chosen and faithful followers." It is
important that we see the spiritual dimension of our own experience of
conflict. Satan's opposition is directed against the Lamb. When we
understand our conflict in this broader context, we begin to see the
way to victory. The victory over Satan is not something that we achieve
for ourselves. We stand against Satan in the victory of the Lamb. Our
victory is always "with Him." It is always a sharing in His victory -
""The Lamb will overcome them." In Psalm 147:12, we read, "He
strengthens the bars of your gates and blesses your people within you."
This is speaking of the city of Jerusalem, but we can also apply it to
our own lives. Through the Lord who fights for us, we receive
strength and we enjoy His blessing.
What God did for His people, Israel, was very great. There is a striking contrast between their slavery in Egypt and their abundance in the promised land. God had multiplied His blessing upon them, just as Jesus did when He turned water into wine (John 2:1-11). If the blessing is to be maintained and increased, we must honour the Lord. We must cry to Him for blessing: "Hear my prayer, O God, listen to the words of my mouth." We must call upon Him with faith: "Surely God is my help; the Lord is the One who sustains me" (Psalm 54:2,4).
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