If I were asked to describe the Old Testament book of Nehemiah, I’d do so using two simple words. Nehemiah shouts aloud:
Return.
Restoration.
After reading through the doom and gloom of the major prophets, I generally begin Nehemiah with a sigh and one declaration:
Finally!
Finally, God’s exiled people are returning to their homeland.
The temple has been rebuilt.
The hearts of the people are returning to their God.
And, finally…restoration is underway.
What I really love about this book is the heart of the man who wrote it.
In him, I see courage, conviction, confidence, compassion, and a clear calling.
I admit.
I’m envious.
Add those things together, and what do you get?
Determination.
Dedication.
Decisive action.
But what captures me most is this:
Nehemiah possess a heart that grieves a broken-down wall.
It has been in ruins for decades.
Earlier attempts have been halted.
But, Nehemiah knows that those crumbling stones represent far more than a construction project.
As long as the wall is in disrepair, then the Great and Mighty God of the Israelites appears weak and powerless.
He becomes a mockery.
And, because the people of God are identified with the identity of God, they, too, appear weak and powerless.
With this being a shame and honor based culture, the exiles continue to live under a cloud of reproach.
Defenseless.
Disgraced.
Scorned.
And, prone to continuous attack.
Nehemiah’s calling? Rebuild that wall!
In 2023, I had the privilege of “walking the wall” around Jerusalem.
Or, what’s left of it.
It felt sacred.
Echos of former lament, celebration, battle, worship, and cries of chaos practically rise from the stones.
And, I felt a smidgen of Nehemiah’s grief.
But, not for the broken down walls of modern day Jerusalem.
For the modern day “walls” of the Church.
Because, the “wall” is a powerful metaphor for the vulnerability, the lack of protective boundaries, of TRUTH neglected, of sin tolerated, of moral failure, of broken families, and of one generation failing to tell another the stories of faith.
So, I wonder.
I wonder if the world needs some Nehemiahs…
Men, women, and entire families willing to “work on the wall” -
To begin exactly where Nehemiah began: to look at the section of wall directly in front of them and say:
“This is where I will rebuild.”
Perhaps rebuilding begins with returning to spiritual disciplines that have quietly lapsed.
Maybe it means restoring accountability to Truth.
Maybe it means rebuilding integrity where compromise has loosened the stones.
Maybe it means strengthening marriages and families.
Maybe it means telling our children and grandchildren, once again, the stories of God’s faithfulness.
Maybe it means getting back on our knees.
Nehemiah didn’t rebuild Jerusalem’s wall by himself.
Families repaired the sections in front of them.
Stone by stone.
Gate by gate.
Section by section.
Until what had been broken stood again.
Perhaps that’s where restoration always begins.
Not by staring at the enormity of the ruins.
But by asking:
Lord, what section of the wall have You put in front of me?
What stone do I pick up first?
We, like the exiles, need a return.
We need restoration.
And, that's just a thought!
