Nehemiah was a prophet who received permission and funding from King Artaxerxes to rebuild Jeruslaem’s wall. He was met with resistance from those who benefitted from Jerusalem and the Israelites weakness. Those forces tried to distract and intimidate Nehemiah to stop the work. See Nehemiah’s response below.
Nehemiah 4:13-18
13 Therefore I stationed some of the people behind the lowest points of the wall at the exposed places, posting them by families, with their swords, spears and bows. 14 After I looked things over, I stood up and said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people, “Don’t be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your families, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes.”
15 When our enemies heard that we were aware of their plot and that God had frustrated it, we all returned to the wall, each to our own work.
16 From that day on, half of my men did the work, while the other half were equipped with spears, shields, bows and armor. The officers posted themselves behind all the people of Judah 17 who were building the wall. Those who carried materials did their work with one hand and held a weapon in the other, 18 and each of the builders wore his sword at his side as he worked. But the man who sounded the trumpet stayed with me.
Do not lose heart men and women of Memphis. We serve a great God. I shared this note with my own prayer group and have tailored it here. If we are to have a thriving community where the people prosper, we must protect it and defend it. We must come together seeking to better our city, each serving as best they know how.
I encourage you to reach out to someone you may have met recently at church or in a prayer gathering and get to know them. Form those bonds now. We are in a spiritual battle. We need the young lions and the seasoned saints to fight the adversary together. Praise be to God!