This is a statement that Nehemiah made to his enemies who were trying to distract him and stop the great work of rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem. (Neh. 6:3) The reason it was great is because it was God’s work. What a thrill to have the important job of laboring together with God in His work! “For we are God’s fellow workers.” (I Cor. 3:9a) I have the privilege of helping out some with the sound booth upgrade, and believe it is a great work for the Lord. It has gotten me thinking about Nehemiah.
A great work of God certainly requires prayer to God that He would prosper us in doing His will. We see Nehemiah doing just that.
He started this work of God with prayer:
And they said to me, “The survivors who are left from the captivity in the province are there in great distress and reproach. The wall of Jerusalem is also broken down, and its gates are burned with fire.” So it was, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned for many days; I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven. (Neh. 1:3-4)
He shot up a prayer to the Lord as he spoke to the king about this project:
Therefore the king said to me, “Why is your face sad, since you are not sick? This is nothing but sorrow of heart.” So I became dreadfully afraid, and said to the king, “May the king live forever! Why should my face not be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers’ tombs, lies waste, and its gates are burned with fire?” Then the king said to me, “What do you request?” So I prayed to the God of heaven. And I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor in your sight, I ask that you send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers’ tombs, that I may rebuild it.” (Neh. 2:2-5)
He continued to pray as attacks came:
So we built the wall, and the entire wall was joined together up to half its height, for the people had a mind to work. Now it happened, when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites heard that the walls of Jerusalem were being restored and the gaps were beginning to be closed, that they became very angry, and all of them conspired together to come and attack Jerusalem and create confusion. Nevertheless we made our prayer to our God, and because of them we set a watch against them day and night. … And it happened, when our enemies heard that it was known to us, and that God had brought their plot to nothing, that all of us returned to the wall, everyone to his work. (Neh. 4:6-9, 15)
May we likewise move forward in God’s great work through prayer.