Day 1 of 6 — Pioneering Faith. About 3 minutes.
And I went out by night by the gate of the valley, even before the dragon well, and to the dung port, and viewed the walls of Jerusalem, which were broken down, and the gates thereof were consumed with fire.
Nehemiah 2:13
Something can stay broken long enough that eventually you stop noticing it.
A loose doorknob bothers you when it first starts moving. A mark on the wall catches your eye every time you walk past it. But give it enough time and somehow it becomes part of the house. Everybody learns to live around it.
Jerusalem had been living around broken walls for years.
When Nehemiah arrived, he did something simple. He looked.
Verse 13 says he viewed the walls of Jerusalem. Verse 15 says he viewed the wall again. He went out at night, walked around the city, inspected the damage, and saw the condition for himself.
Nehemiah was willing to see things honestly.
Faith does not require us to pretend everything is fine. Faith can look at a broken wall and call it broken. It can recognize a weakness in our spiritual life, a need in our family, someone who has not been reached, or an area in our church that needs attention.
The danger comes when we have seen the same need for so long that it stops bothering us.
We can get used to people around us who do not know Christ.
We can get used to new believers never being discipled.
We can get used to an area of our own walk with God becoming weak.
Eventually we stop asking whether anything should change and simply accept that this is just the way it is.
Nehemiah refused to let the ruins become normal.
He looked honestly at what was broken, but he did not look just so he could complain about it. What he saw caused him to ask what God wanted him to do about it.
Maybe God has allowed you to see something for the same reason.
Do not hurry past it today.
Look honestly. Pray about it. Ask God what He wants you to do.
Before something can be rebuilt, somebody has to be willing to see that it is broken.
Growth principle: Faith is willing to see honestly what others have learned to ignore.
Take it with you: Identify one spiritual need you may have gotten used to. Instead of simply noticing it again today, pray specifically and ask God what He wants you to do about it.
Pause and pray: Lord, help me not to become comfortable with things that need to change. Give me eyes to see the needs around me honestly and wisdom to know what You want me to do. Amen.
From Sunday’s message: Faith That Attempts Something Greater (Nehemiah 1-2)
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