“Instead, I devoted myself to the work on this wall.” (Nehemiah 5:16 NIV)
I’m home from my journey and I’ve gotten a good night’s rest. But Dr. Beth Grant’s words still swim in my head. “Stay on the wall.” she said.
Beth had led our Wednesday morning closing session with a story about having dinner with Greg Mundis in March of 2020. Only four days later. Greg was hospitalized, on a ventilator, in a death-wrestle with the infectious disease labeled recently labeled as Co-vid 19. Of course, Beth and her husband immediately quarantined. In an understandable reaction to the unknown, she started telling her loved ones ‘stay safe.’ Every one of us in the room nodded our heads at this expression, we all remember the science-fiction experiment that was March of 2020.
And because the Grants are holier than you and I, they spent their seclusion in prayer. Beth let us know that the Lord convicted her fairly quickly of her ‘stay safe’ messaging. In fact, He told her quite clearly “I’ve never called you to the priority of staying safe; I’ve called you to be ready.”
See, Beth and her husband oversee a ministry that rescues women out of sex trafficking in far-off countries. They have never been the kind of Christians who serve God in a safe way. Why would they do any differently, simply because a pandemic was raging? Even now, the eternal clock is ticking. As Levi Lusko says “Life is a timed test.” and when the buzzer sounds by death or rapture, our opportunity to accomplish Kingdom things here on earth is over.
So why am I sharing Beth’s story on my blog today? Because I have been recently convicted of similar self-preservation. When the pandemic began, my momma-bear instincts went into overdrive. I was compelled do everything I could to prevent my precious people from contracting this deadly disease. I wanted to keep everyone close, clean and safe. Home and accounted for. Healthy and happy.
Yet the longer covid has held the world in it’s grip, the more I realize that a pandemic does not dismiss us from from the work of the gospel. We can’t get a doctor’s note to excuse us from the Great Commission. We’ve got to stay devoted to the work of the wall, despite the increased awareness of risk to life and limb. There has always been risk involved in being obedient to Jesus. It’s time to get to work and pray for strength to finish the task.
“They were all trying to frighten us, thinking, “Their hands will get too weak for the work, and it will not be completed.” But I prayed, “Now strengthen my hands.” (Nehemiah 6:9 NIV)
The faithfulness of wall builders in impossible seasons eventually produces dramatic results. Maybe not in their own lifetime, but faithfulness begets belief in others in due course. We see this in the life of Jacob and Joseph and Moses.
If we flip ahead in the story to chapter 8, we find Nehemiah has finally finished the wall and the entire assembly has gathered together. Ezra read the law and the people responded in worship. The Israelites could hear and acknowledge God freely because of the faithfulness of a few while the world fell apart. Nehemiah and his team had created space to seek God again.
Sometimes our wall work is the just the type of concrete evidence that unbelievers need to start putting faith in an unseen God. Sometimes the Kingdom wall that we are painstakingly reassembling stands as a witness of the goodness and glory of God – stone on stone in stark contrast to the deaf and mute idols of the world around us.
My friend, our faithfulness – our long-term outlook in seasons of panic and trauma – will bring about a wave of righteousness in the days to come. We lead with our words, with whatever is in our hands, with our heart and attitude, as well. As dear Dr. Grant said, it is time to stay on the wall and get the work done despite the times we are living in.
“Ezra opened the book. All the people could see him because he was standing above them; and as he opened it, the people all stood up. Ezra praised the Lord, the great God; and all the people lifted their hands and responded, “Amen! Amen!” Then they bowed down and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground.” (Nehemiah 8:5-6 NIV)
Dear Lord, let us remain on the wall and keep working. It has been a long and difficult season. The current social climate is confusing. We are often distracted by the people and politics here below. Give us the strength and courage to climb up and set our hands to the tasks that are truly important. Let fear fall away as we seek to be obedient to You. May our Kingdom efforts stand for generations if You so choose to tarry. Amen.