Jesus Isn't Decaf (By Naomi Meyers)

It should have been a joyous occasion. A reunion of brothers. A time of catching up, reminiscing, laughter and fun. It started that way. It didn’t end as such. Somewhere between the back-slapping hug of greeting and the humor-inducing recollections, Nehemiah asked a question that turned the conversation down a solemn path. As much as he was enjoying their banter, he couldn’t stop himself from asking about the things that were constantly on his mind. How were the surviving exiles, his people who had been able to return home? And how was home? What did Jerusalem look like? Were things getting back to normal back home? 

The answer broke his heart. Shattered it, really. Some of the people were back, but they were not recovered. They were in desperate straits. Despised by neighboring kingdoms. Rejected by adjacent towns. No one to come to their aid, lift them up, help them out. Jerusalem itself was in distressing disrepair. The wall surrounding it had crumbled in places. Sections lay in utter ruin. It hadn’t been rebuilt since its destruction more than a century before. Parts previously left standing had fallen of their own volition. Age and neglect had taken their toll. It offered no security. Nor did the city gates. They were non-existent. Burned to ashes by one invasion or another. They could keep no one in. They would keep no enemy out. The entire city with its struggling group of ragtag survivors were easy targets for any king looking to extend their victories.

Profoundly saddened by the shocking news, Nehemiah’s knees gave way. Sinking to the ground, he wept. His shoulders shook. Tears flowed. It seemed his very soul was broken. His heart mourned. His body fasted. Every fiber of his being wanted to be in Jerusalem, organizing, directing, rebuilding, creating a more secure space in which they could live. He would have thrown some necessities in a bag and raced to their rescue if he could. He couldn’t. He was stuck. As the king’s cupbearer, he wasn’t free to come and go. There were no vacation days to burn, no leave of absence to enact. Nehemiah’s presence was required right there in the citadel of Susa. Knowing his trip to Jerusalem could only come about by an act of God, Nehemiah stayed on his knees and did the only thing he could. Nehemiah prayed. 

Overwhelmed by the tidal wave of new, negative information, Nehemiah reminded himself of what He knew about his God. His greatness. His power. His constancy. He understood God as One who keeps all His promises, those of blessing and those of retribution. Nehemiah also knew his people. And himself. He knew they were sinners. All of them. Himself and his family as well as the others. They hadn’t held up their end of the covenant. They hadn’t remained committed to God’s commands. As a people, they had failed to keep the laws and decrees handed down through Moses, forcing God to keep His promise, allowing their disobedience to scatter them from their homes. He also knew that wasn’t the end of the promise. God had added a caveat, a rescue, an escape clause. If they would turn back to Him in repentance and obedience, He would bring the scattered people back home.

Nehemiah never doubted God would do it. He would fulfill either promise the Israelites chose. Unfortunately, their foolish hearts first chose disobedience. And they were scattered. Just as He said. Now, it seems, they were making an attempt at turning back toward God. Some of the scattered people had been reunited in Jerusalem. The people God had miraculously rescued by his strength and power were back, but they needed help. They needed a leader, an organizer. Someone to make sense of the staggering chaos. Nehemiah desperately wanted to be that person. But how could he? How could he convince King Artaxerxes that his presence there was more necessary than his presence here? He couldn’t. Not on his own. Nehemiah needed God to go before him. So Nehemiah prayed. (Nehemiah 1)

Walking into the king’s presence, Nehemiah gripped the king’s wine glass so hard his knuckles turned white. His hand trembled slightly. His knees felt weak. His stomach jangled with nerves. Everything part of this day was so important. Every expression. Every word. Every action. The burden he carried for his people was heavy. The enormity of his ask triggered his doubt. Waiting for the right moment was a strenuous exercise in patience. Sitting back and letting God be God was much more difficult than Nehemiah hoped. But then God did what God chose to do. With no help from Nehemiah, God directed the king’s focus from himself and his duties to the troubled countenance of his cupbearer, miraculously paving the way for an explanation and a request.   

Seizing the moment, Nehemiah respectfully laid before the king the dire news he’d received from home. His heart was in turmoil. His city was ruined. The gates were destroyed by fire. The people were without leadership, vulnerable to attack on every side. They needed help. They needed him. He needed to go rebuild the wall, reset the gates, encourage the people to fully turn back to God, follow His ways, and allow Him to bless them as He’d promised. The words stirred the king’s heart. He offered up a leave of absence. Wrote letters to secure Nehemiah’s passage. Why? Because, before Nehemiah walked into what could have been a verbal sparring, he went to His God and asked Him to direct His path. And God did. (Nehemiah 2:1-9)

As victorious as that moment was, trouble was on its heels. Sanballat, Tobiah and Geshem were angry that someone would come take up for the Israelites in Jerusalem. They rather preferred them as helpless, hopeless targets. Enemies of the people and all who offered them aid, they came against Nehemiah’s efforts with mocking, ridicule and accusations. Not deterred, Nehemiah armed himself with faith in God, staunchly asserting that his success would come from God. It didn’t change their taunts. Didn’t stop their pestering. Didn’t alter their attacks. And Nehemiah followed his tried and tested strategy for war. Nehemiah prayed. Continued with their plans, and encouraged his people to do the same. (Nehemiah 2:10,19-20)

Every day would be a battle. Their enemies would plot against them to fight and stir up trouble, constantly attempting to end the repairs on the walls. They would threaten to sneak among the workers, kill them, and stop their work. The constant threat required the men of Israel to remain armed and alert, ready for any form of trouble from their enemies. Guards were posted. Men held their ready weapon in one hand and carried supplies with the other. They worked relentlessly, but not tirelessly. They grew weary. Became easier targets. But Nehemiah knew the art of their war. He knew the winning strategy and he used it. God was on their side. 

They had to remember that. Keep it front and center in their minds. Encourage themselves with the truth of who their God was. The great and awesome God of the universe who had delivered His people over and over again. He was mighty in battle. A valiant warrior. No one who had ever come against Him had prevailed. And He hadn’t changed. He was still the same God. Their God. And He was on their side.No matter how tired they were, how difficult the work, how terrifying the enemy threats, how ugly the menacing and ridicule, not once did Nehemiah let them forget that their God would fight for them if they just kept following Him, doing His work, praying and trusting Him for deliverance. Total reliance on the God of Heaven was the best weapon they had. It was their only unbeatable weapon. The strategy was simple. Stay armed. Stay alert. Stay ready. Use your weapons if necessary. But don’t stop following your God. (Nehemiah 4)

Centuries later, the Apostle Paul would concisely reiterate the concepts put forth by Nehemiah. Writing to the church in Ephesus, he would direct them to put on the entire armor of God. Every. Single. Piece. Why? Because their enemy, the evil one, was constantly lurking, looking for weakness, tiredness, laxness. Tirelessly searching for a way to win the war for their souls. They didn’t have to lose to him. They could be strong in their God, trusting His mighty power to fight for them. Clothe themselves with the truth of God’s promises. Cover themselves with God’s righteousness. Keep their feet firmly grounded in the Word of God, faithfully following Him in the face of every attack. Grab up the shield of faith. Use it to rest in Christ alone. Allow Him to protect their souls and extinguish the flaming torches of doubt and unbelief the wicked one would throw at them. Cover their minds. Put on the helmet of salvation to repel the silent missiles of fear and temptation attempting to infiltrate their thoughts. Stay armed. Pick up the sword of the spirit. Wield it often. Don’t let the evil one have space in their heads, their hearts, their souls. Battle back with the words of Scripture. Fight with the promises of God. And pray. Always. In every situation. Pray to remain steadfast, valiant, faithful. Then stand. Fight. They would win. So long as they used God’s strategies to fight their war. (Ephesians 6:10-18; Psalm 60:12; II Corinthians 10:3-5; I Corinthians 15:58)

Not unlike Nehemiah and his wall-builders, every day of your life is a battle. For your mind. For your heart. For your soul. Even when you’ve had the best, easiest day on the planet, you don’t dare let your guard down. The enemy is always stalking you, watching for a weakness, looking for a space to infiltrate. You know his tactics. You know what words he uses. You know the thoughts he plants. You know the things he drops in your path to distract you, distress you, disturb your peace. You know you have to fight against them. And you know how. You have the ultimate playbook. The strategy guide. The Bible. Everything you need to win the war against the evil one is there. Victory is in its pages. You just have to follow it. Read it. Obey it. Know it. Arm yourself with its words. Boldly speak them against the forces of evil that attack your mind and soul. Stand firm on God’s unchanging promises. Trust Him to always have your back. Know that this battle, every battle, is His alone. He will bring victory. He will give strength to stand, to fight, to win. It’s God’s war, so follow His strategies. Call on Him, rest your faith in His promises, stand firm, and let Him fight for you. If you follow His strategies, you can’t lose. He built them with you in mind. Stand firm. Trust. Fight. And let God bring the victory. (Ephesians 6:12; II Corinthians 2:11; I Peter 5:8; James 4:7; Isaiah 54:7)