Nehemiah 4:9 Nevertheless we made our prayer unto our God, and set a watch against them day and night, because of them.
How about a little quiz today? The question is, “Who is Tim Horton?” It’s not, “What is Tim Hortons?” but, “Who is Tim Horton?” Now, doubtless I am talking to someone who knows a lot more about this than I do, but if I am not mistaken, Tim Horton was a hockey player and entrepreneur who started the franchise which bears his name. So, when you think about the restaurant chain Tim Hortons, it is much more than a man. It is a group of people who work very hard to make that go.
What if I were to ask, “Who were the McDonalds?” If I’m not mistaken, before Ray Kroc showed up, there were a couple of brothers who had a hamburger stand which was bought and made into much more by Ray Kroc. So, McDonald’s is those men, but it is also a chain of restaurants the world over that is operated by thousands of people.
I live in a place called the Bill Rice Ranch. It is named for my grandfather, yet Bill Rice has been in Heaven for many a year. There are hundreds of people who have worked at the Bill Rice Ranch over the years, who have made the Ranch work and do what is behind the name Bill Rice Ranch.
So, when I think about Nehemiah and the wall that he repaired, I am reminded that it was not Nehemiah’s wall. It was God’s. There were a lot of other people besides Nehemiah who put this wall together. Nehemiah 3 gives you a lot of names, most of them obscure, who are people who were behind the work that is associated with Nehemiah’s name.
We work best when we work with God. Let me ask a couple questions about the story of Nehemiah and perhaps you can see this come to light. First, who owned Jerusalem, this city that was torn down without walls? Well, very quickly Nehemiah and his prayer to God gives ownership to God. He says, “God, these are Your servants, Your city, and Your power that needs to be in play here. This is Your problem.” So, God owned Jerusalem. That is a wonderful place to begin any task that you have. Any task worthy of doing is probably bigger than you and requires more than just you. It probably requires other people, and if it is going to have any longevity and make a significance in eternity, it needs to belong to God.
Look at Nehemiah 4 and you find that Nehemiah and those who worked with him were up against it. There were those who had great indignation, mocked, and were against what Nehemiah and his workers were doing. They insulted Nehemiah. One of them said, “Even if a fox came and walked upon this wall you are putting together, he would tear it all down.” But Nehemiah says, “Hear, O our God; for we are despised…for they have provoked thee to anger before the builders.” So, who owned Jerusalem? God did. Who was insulted? The mockers thought they were insulting Nehemiah, but really they were insulting God. Why is that? It is because Nehemiah had so closely tied his work to the ownership and purposes of God that he was invested in what God wished to do.
Who built the wall? Again, in Nehemiah 4:9 it says, “Nevertheless we made our prayer unto our God, and set a watch against them day and night, because of them.” So, because of the opposition, they prayed to God and guarded the wall. So, who protected the wall, God or Nehemiah? Yes! Nehemiah did his part, but he was trusting God to do what only God can do.
In verse 14 Nehemiah says to those who were helping him, “Be ye not afraid of them: remember the Lord, which is great and terrible, and fight for your brethren.” Wait a minute, remember God and fight for your brothers? Who was doing the work, God or Nehemiah and his company? The answer is yes.
In verse 20 Nehemiah said, “In what place therefore ye hear the sound of the trumpet, resort ye thither unto us: our God shall fight for us.” Why did they need to gather together if God was fighting for them? It was because God was with them and He was working through them.
The old adage is work like it all depends upon you and pray like it all depends upon God. There are many examples of this. Here’s a student who is praying, “God, help me to do well on this quiz today.” There are three things the student can mean by that. He can mean, “God, insert information into my head that has never been there before and help me to make a 100.” Second, he could mean, “Help there to be no questions so I don’t have to confront this problem at all.” Or, he could be praying, “God, help me to remember what I have diligently studied.” That is a valid prayer. I can study hard and forget everything if I am not careful. The wise student is one who studies like it all depends on him and prays like it all depends on God. There really is a partnership, and that is a beautiful thing. That is because God did not make you to work alone. We work best when we work with God.