Strength To Continue

TEXT : NEH. 4 : 1

Over the past few weeks I have shared several messages from the book of Nehemiah. One week we
looked at Nehemiah 1. In that message, “Rising Above The Rubble”, we saw how Jerusalem lay in
shambles and Nehemiah lead an effort to rise above the rubble of defeat. In the next message, “From
Sadness to Singing”, we saw how God transformed the people’s sadness into singing. However, along
the way they faced challenges. We also face challenges from time to time. In those times we need
strength to continue. That is the picture of life. We need the divine strength to continue when times get
tough. This message will encourage you in your work for God. This message will encourage you in your
emotional life. This message will encourage you in your marital life. This message will encourage you in
your leisure life. From time to time we all need encouragement and strength to continue.
We are going to concentrate our thoughts on Nehemiah 4. Before we go there I would like to draw your
attention to chapter 3. Chapter 3 shows a beautiful picture of God’s people working together. It is a
picture of cooperation, coordination, and unity among God’s people. It shows a picture of God’s people
working together for the glory of God. Notice Eliashi’s effort in verse 1, the men of Jericho in verse 2, the
sons of Hassenaah in verse 3, a man named Meremoth in verse 4, and this pattern continues through
chapter 4. This chapter lists a chain of human workers working together for God’s glory. Chapter 3
portrays the good times. The people were having fun and everything was on a positive note. However,
the events in chapter 4 arrive. The situation is different. The first phrase in chapter 4 is “it so happened.”
In life things happen. That is when we need strength to continue.

Look at chapter 4 and the trials they faced.

• They faced ridicule (4:2-3). Notice especially verse 3. Tobiah said “if even a fox goes up on it, he will
break down their stone wall.”

• They faced confusion (4:8). Their enemies sought to create confusion among them.

• They faced discouragement (4:10,12). Notice especially verse 10 “the strength of the laborers is
failing.”

• They faced fear (4:14). In verse 14 Nehemiah encourages the people to not be afraid.

Ridicule, confusion, discouragement, and fear…did they not need strength to continue moving forward?
Can we not learn something from them? Let me share some jewels I found in this chapter. I want to
show you four sources of strength.

1.Find strength through supplication

. Every turn of the page, in Nehemiah, prayer is mentioned. As you follow Nehemiah’s efforts you see
him leading the people to continue in prayer. Notice 1:4 “I was fasting and praying before the God of
Heaven.” Notice 2:4 “So I prayed to the God of heaven.” Notice 4:4 “Hear, O our God, for we are
despised.” Notice 4:9 “We made our prayer to our God.” There are times when we might give up on
prayer.

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Let me encourage you in your prayer life. None of us are perfect. All of us struggle with inferiority when
it comes to prayer. All of us are on a learning curve when it comes to prayer. Allow me to encourage you
by exalting our gracious, loving, and compassionate God. When you pray, God listens. Even when we do
not have it all together, God listens. Even when we are downcast, God listens. Even when we have
trouble holding our heads up, God listens. Even when we doubt God, God listens. I was sharing with
someone, this week, one of my favorite passages about prayer. It is found in Acts 12. In this passage
Peter was in prison. It tells us the church was praying for him (vs. 5). Peter was miraculously delivered
from prison by an angel of God. Peter goes to the home of a lady named Mary, where prayer was being
offered for him. A girl named Rhoda answers the door and Peter is at the door. She is so excited to hear
Peter’s voice that she does not open the door for him. Rhoda runs into the house and tells the others
(who were praying for Peter) that Peter was at the door. The group of praying saints told Rhoda she was
beside herself. (A cotton patch translation: you are nuts.) In spite of their unbelief God answered their
prayer.

My encouragement to you, no matter how short, weak, or feeble your prayer may be, keep on
praying! God loves us and he honors prayer. Prayer gives strength we will never comprehend.

2.Find strength through cooperation.

Notice two phrases in verse 6, “we built the wall….the people had a mind to work.” This was
a group project. There was a strong sense of coordination, cooperation,and community.
Everyone depended on everyone else
We encourage all those who attend our church to get involved in a small group. A small
group gives you a group of people with whom you can cooperate, receive encouragement,
and a sense of community.

There is another exciting truth in this chapter. The Jewish people were under constant
attack by their enemies. It got to the point where one group stood guard while another
group worked. They rallied around each other and protected each other. That is a picture of
what the church should be. We are here for each other. In cooperating we give strength.

3.Find strength through Determination.

Determination is an important but difficult lesson to learn. It shocks us when we realize that
great men and women go through difficult and depressing times. For instance, Winston
Churchill said, "Depression followed me around like a black dog all of my life." A young
lawyer in the 1800’s suffered such a deep depression that his friends did everything they
could to keep all razors and knives away from him. He wrote these words, "I am now the
most miserable man living. Whether I shall be better, I cannot tell." This lawyer later
became the 16th president of the United States. His name was Abraham Lincoln. Even
Charles Spurgeon was given to periods of depression. History tells us that there were times
when Spurgeon would be so depressed that he would refuse to leave his home to go to
church.

Even when walking with God you will face trials. Throughout the Bible God’s children faced
trials.

• Joseph was thrown into prison.

• Moses was raised under the dictatorship of King Pharaoh in Egypt.
• Job, who was described as blameless, lost virtually everything he possessed.
 • Jeremiah was thrown into a water cistern and left for dead.
• Elijah got so depressed he wanted to die.
• Paul, who wrote the most of any author in the New Testament, was beaten time after
time because of his faith.
• John, who wrote several books of our New Testament, was exiled on the Isle of Patmos.
He was not protected from trials.
Never give up! Your ray of light may be just around the corner.

4. Find strength by trusting the Lord.

You will notice a rallying cry in verse 14, “Remember the Lord.” Every time we face a trial, a
difficulty, a challenge, or an obstacle we need to be reminded of this, “Remember the Lord.”

We have a tendency to forget the Lord’s intervention in our lives.

As Nehemiah worked with these people he regularly reminded them to trust the Lord. The
Bible regularly encourages us to trust the Lord.

“And those who know Your name will put their trust in You; For You, LORD, have not
forsaken those who seek You. Ps. 9:10
“The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I will
trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I will call upon the LORD, who
is worthy to be praised;” Ps. 18:2-3

“Some trust in chariots, and some in horses; But we will remember the name of the LORD
our God.” Ps. 20:7

“You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in
You.” Is. 26:3

The Old Testament character, Abraham, was a wonderful example of trust.

Let’s imagine a dialogue between Abraham and God. “Abraham, this is God speaking. I want
you to leave everything and go to the land I will show you.
Hebrews 11:8 puts it this way: “By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would
later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he
was going.”

May we find grace and strength to carry us as we seek to follow Jesus Christ and to honor His name.