“Do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” Nehemiah 8:10
My legs were running in place like twin hamsters on a treadmill, my mind racing ahead to keep them from trampling me with the futility of circular reasoning. As I ruminated on the endless loop of worldly woes prompted by an urgent, late-night prayer request, sleep was ditched in the dust as the digital clock mocked me with an altogether too bright “3:21 a.m.” You’ve been there, haven’t you?
Yet something about those numbers in that configuration beckoned me to my Bible, calling me to Revelation 3:21, “To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat down with my Father on his throne.” Backpedaling a bit, I reread the letter to the lukewarm Church at Laodicea—a church that was neither cold nor hot; a church the Faithful and True Witness wanted to vomit out of His mouth because they had need of nothing; a church He called wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked. A church He was calling to repentance. A Church He is calling to repentance.
“As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.” Sometimes that knock comes in the watches of the night, inviting us to a pre-dawn, all-you-can-eat breakfast buffet with the One who will teach us how to overcome. So here I am, right here, right now, sitting at His table, repenting for my jaded, mechanical response to the needs of another.
As a MICN prayer ambassador, you’d think my first response to a request would be to pray, right? But my flesh relentlessly begged for the bliss of sleep until my restless legs ran me right out of bed to finally answer that knock at the door. As I prayed the Word and worshiped, as I prayed in the Spirit with passion, the peace that had eluded me came with His presence. I repented for my reluctance to respond immediately to the voice I know so well, pleading, “Lord, let me never become so calloused to the needs of others that I fail to respond to your promptings to pray.” And His love washed over me like a refreshing fountain.
With our world still in at least partial captivity to COVID-19, there are times when a spirit of futility tries to latch on like a leech, sapping our hope as we wonder whether life will ever return to normal. The zeal that is fueled by community wanes as we hold one another at arm’s length. Loss of loved ones reminds us of our own vulnerability. Battle fatigue renders us little more than automatons. But then the Holy Spirit reminds us of who we are—more than conquerors through Christ, the victorious ones who have been given the keys to the kingdom and an open invitation to be seated with Him in heavenly places.
Reflecting on seasons of captivity in biblical history, I think of how Nehemiah passionately prayed for his people, confessing the sins of the children of Israel as well as his own, asking Him for mercy as he prepared to go before King Artaxerxes to request permission to return to Judah. It was the very abject sadness in the countenance of the king’s cupbearer that moved Artaxerxes to respond to Nehemiah’s request.
With his repentance on behalf of the people, Nehemiah was given favor to rebuild the wall and revive a nation. The Hebrew word chazaq, meaning to repair, occurs at least once in every verse between Nehemiah 3:4 and 3:32 for a total of 40 times. But these references are always mentioned in conjunction with specific names—so-and-so’s son making repairs, laying beams and hanging doors—with even an occasional daughter thrown in for good measure. The people rebuilt the fallen wall together—and in the process, began to rediscover the faith of their fathers.
Even as the Jews were working to close the gaps, the enemy mocked and tried to defeat them.
But Nehemiah strategically positioned men behind the lower parts of the wall and placed people with their families. He reminded them not to be afraid of the enemy, but to remember the great and awesome Lord as they fought for their families and houses. Half of the men worked at construction; the other half wore the armor, holding the spears, shields, and bows. They labored in community as one body, strengthening and protecting each other even as the enemy taunted and intimidated.
With the completion of the wall, all the people gathered together in the open square as Ezra the priest read from the Book of the Law. But no longer were the people fearful, fidgeting, contentious, or complaining. Their ears were perked up, attentive to the Word of God. Not just attentive, but riveted. First shouting “Amen!” as they lifted their hands in praise, they were overcome by the presence of the Lord, bowing their heads in worship with their faces to the ground. And then they wept, for godly sorrow and the goodness of the Lord had brought them to repentance.
Those familiar words we all know and love, “The joy of the Lord is my strength,” emerged from this time of returning from captivity and repairing what had been broken. The isolation, agitation, despair, and fear that had erected a barrier between them and God was overcome by working together in a spirit of unity. Even as the people rebuilt the wall around Jerusalem, they broke down the walls of their own self-sufficiency and pride. But their leader, whose deep sadness had moved the heart of a king, said, “Do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” They were entering a new season and it was now time to rejoice.
That Hebrew word I mentioned earlier, chazaq, also means to make firm or strong. When we repair something, we restore it to a strong, firm state. I believe this is what God is doing in His Church right now as we emerge from this season of captivity. We are being called to build up the body of Christ even as we tear down the age-old walls of pride and self-sufficiency. And we’re called to do it together as members of MICN as we pray, give thanks, and rejoice in Him.
As we move into this new season of restoration and revival, the MICN leadership team is working together with the IC as one body called to one purpose, each member uniquely gifted and positioned to impact the nations. The Ambassadorial Prayer Team (APT) would like to invite each church to interact with us on a deeper level by submitting prayer requests to our team that we will intercede for with expectation of results like we have seen in Nehemiah. Let us come alongside you as fellow members of the family of God, sharing in the joy of the Lord as we help to bear your burdens.
As we work together to rebuild our walls and strengthen the Church, I’d like to leave you with the words of Paul from I Thessalonians 5:14-18 in The Passion Translation.
We appeal to you, dear brothers and sisters, to instruct those who are not in their place of battle. Be skilled at gently encouraging those who feel themselves inadequate. Be faithful to stand your ground. Help the weak to stand again. Be quick to demonstrate patience with everyone. Resist revenge, and make sure that no one pays back evil in place of evil but always pursue doing what is beautiful to one another and to all the unbelievers. Let joy be your continual feast. Make your life a prayer. And in the midst of everything be always giving thanks, for this is God’s perfect plan for you in Christ Jesus
Jan deChambrier
MICN Prayer Ambassador
