Talk Tuesday-The Anchor That Holds

Yesterday I was once again reminded about the importance of God's Word as I settled down to read and meditate on it. I opened my Bible to the book of Nehemiah, and saw how the LORD used Nehemiah to rebuild the broken walls of Jerusalem-a city destroyed by its enemies. Many of the Israelites were taken away as exiles to foreign lands while a small remnant remained amidst the ruins. Nehemiah had subsequently become a cupbearer to the king of Persia in Susa. As he considered the plight of his people, he prayed, “O LORD, God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant of love with those who love Him and obey His commands, let Your ear be attentive and Your eyes open to hear the prayer Your servant is praying before you day and night for Your servants, the people of Israel,” Nehemiah 1:5-6. Nehemiah proceeded to confess his own sins, and that of his people, repenting for disobeying the laws of the Lord and asking for restoration of their broken city and their broken lives. God heard his prayer, granting him favour with King Artaxerxes to go back and rebuild that which the enemy had destroyed.

Along Nehemiah's journey, many unexpected adversaries rose up against him. Yet, he continuously made such bold, faith-affirming statements to himself and to the people:

“The God of heaven will give us success.” Nehemiah 2:20
“Don't be afraid of them. Remember the LORD, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes.” Nehemiah 4:14.
“Our God will fight for us!” Nehemiah 4:20 

When their enemies plotted against them, Nehemiah responded in prayer: “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. By the end of chapter six, the wall of Jerusalem was completed. “When all our enemies heard about this, all the surrounding nations were afraid and lost their self-confidence, because they realized that this work had been down with the help of our God” Nehemiah 6:16.

As I pondered Nehemiah's experience, I was reawakened to the Power of Prayer. The Word is the anchor that grounds our faith in the knowledge of who GOD IS, enabling us to trust in His love, mercy, compassion and goodness. Obedience comes through Faith. Suddenly I was refreshed, strengthened and renewed. I understood that there is no brokenness that God cannot fix, no enemy that He cannot subdue and no prayer that is impossible for Him to answer. His Word empowers us TRUST Him, PRAY to Him, have FAITH in Him and OBEY Him. Whatever it is that you are facing in life, I encourage you to take heed of Nehemiah's counsel:

“Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.” Nehemiah 8:10