This post is Day 18 in a series of studies about “Nehemiah”. I strongly suggest you begin with the introduction to this study, please click here to read it.

Feel free to comment below with your own thoughts about each verse and how you will be acting on each thought. Also, if you haven’t yet signed up to receive the notifications of new studies, you can do that today. (The form is at the bottom of the page).

Nehemiah – Day 18

We read that the workers continued and before long the wall reached half its height all round the city. What an encouragement for those workers and for us today that organised groups can achieve much, physically and spiritually. But the enemy became more and more angry making more evil plans.

Nehemiah 4:7-9

But when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites and the people of Ashdod heard that the repairs to Jerusalem’s walls had gone ahead and that the gaps were being closed, they were very angry. They all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and stir up trouble against it. But we prayed to our God and posted a guard day and night to meet this threat.

The Thought

Verse 6 tells us that the workers continued and before too long the wall reached half its height all round the city. What an encouragement for those workers and for us today that organised groups can achieve much, physically and spiritually. But the enemy became more and more angry making more evil plans.

Those plans didn’t succeed because of the guard who was a watchman for the city. Many of God’s people are called to be watchmen of prayer today, to know what is being planned in their neighbourhoods, to respond in prayer and to warn others (Ezekiel 33:2,6-7).

One thing we can notice in verse 7 above is that the enemy was not just one man, there were several who were all of the same mind and didn’t want this wall building to succeed. There are enemies in the world today who do not want God’s Kingdom to come, they are working together and so must we; praying with others and “mounting a guard”.

Action

Read Ezekiel 33 today and ask yourself who are the watchmen in your area. Pray for them and become one with them if you can.

If there are no praying people to act as watchmen in your area, then maybe it is time to start a group. Ask The Lord how to proceed, look for other praying people in your church group and suggest praying together about protection for your locality.