SHOULDER TO SHOULDER
DAY 166: As a young mom, I was overwhelmed by how much it took
to keep our family organized and running smoothly. There was so much
work! Between the cleaning, meals, school work, yard work, pets, house
repairs, extra activities, and church commitments, I struggled to keep
up. At one point, when all three of our kids were under five, chaos
reigned. I knew I had been defeated one day when I awoke to 15 loads of
laundry waiting (not an exaggeration), toys covering every
square inch of floor, dished piled high in the sink and three kids
waiting for breakfast.
As I stood with one kid on my hip
and two blocking my path to the coffee maker, I had no idea where to
start. Should I wash the dishes first so I could get in the kitchen?
Shovel the toys so I could get to the dishes? Start the laundry before a
child got lost in the mountains of whites? Or, wait, was that a pile of
doggy poop on the floor? Of course, I did what any sane mature mother would do; I
put shoes on over my kids footy pajamas, a hat on my frizzy bed hair and
fled for the sanctuary called McDonald's.
That is the day the chore chart was born in our house. Our five year old couldn't do much, but I desperately needed him to do something, so I taught him to fold towels. He also learned how to feed the dog, make his bed, clean up his toys, and put the cap back on the toothpaste. They were small contributions to the overall work, but HUGE for my sanity having someone to work with -even if he was only three feet tall. In time all the kids grew and began to take on a part of the work of building our family. (And yes, my husband helped greatly, but we are a high maintenance, high mess family!)
With imperfect helpers and ample obstacles, I discovered that working shoulder to shoulder has more benefits than just "getting the work done." It is about sharing the same vision to accomplish the same purpose. It is easier to be committed when the people around you are committed. That is a lesson family has taught me that I have taken into many places outside my home. You can't always have a "team" but when you can, it can make a huge difference! It is the same lesson Nehemiah demonstrated when he recruited the whole "family" of Israel to be part of his vision to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. (Nehemiah 1-7)
By the time Nehemiah records his memoirs, others had already returned to the Promised Land from 70 years of exile in Babylon. The previous group was able to rebuild the Temple of God, but there was no security and the city's re-population was slow. The walls around the city had been destroyed and the gates had been burned. Nehemiah, a Jew still in Persia, was a cup bearer to King Artaxerxes. When he heard of the of the disastrous state of the city, he longed to do something.
Nehemiah 1: 4 When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven.
I don't want to get off on a tangent, but let me just say WOW about Nehemiah's prayer. He was in a bad-news situation. He was a captive. His people were captives. His homeland was in ruins. He had no control over his situation. So how does he pray? “Lord, the God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love..."
Rather than moaning and lamenting his situation, blaming God or blaming his enemies, Nehemiah remembers the character of God, and honors God in the midst of his tragedy. He confesses his own rebellion against God. He affirms God's right to punish, God's right to allow calamity for His own purposes. Nehemiah had not even been born when God allowed the Jews to be conquered and exiled for their national rebellion, yet he confess personally knowing that his own sins justify any punishment God executed. That's convicting! So often I look for "the thing" that I may have done that allowed hardship; or "the thing" someone else has done. Like Nehemiah, I need to remember that the bottom line is "I am a sinner." Regardless if my situation is active punishment or passive testing, rather than bickering with God about whether "this calamity" is justified, I long to be like the cup bearer who appealed on the basis of God's love, not his own worthiness - That is a much more reliable plea!
There are many lessons in his prayer, as he grieves, fasts and then seeks God's hand for a specific task. I hope you will have time to go back and dwell on his example; it is such a personal look at a man of purpose, one that is a great model for us today.
In the end, the king granted Nehemiah's request to return to Jerusalem, and then some! He sent him with an armed escort for protection, a letter of authority, and resources to complete the work. Favor, indeed. The real work was just starting though. Not only were the walls torn down, there were also powerful people who did not want them rebuilt. Nehemiah wisely recognized this was not a job for him alone and he recruited others to be part of the vision.
17 Then I said to them, “You see the trouble we are in: Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned with fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and we will no longer be in disgrace.” 18 I also told them about the gracious hand of my God on me and what the king had said to me. They replied, “Let us start rebuilding.” So they began this good work.
No sugar coating the issue, but also giving God center stage, Nehemiah looked for and accepted the help of all those who wanted to be part of this good work. And so it began - almost the entire city working shoulder to shoulder. The following scriptures describe in details the area where individuals did their part.
It reads something like this from Nehemiah 3... Shallum worked on the Fountain gate.... next to him the son of Azbuck rebuilt a wall near the cemetery...next was a group of Levites...next down the line were his countrymen led by Binnui...next to them was Baruch who repaired buttresses...next to him was Zavvai and Meremoth... then came priests...after them Benjamin, Hasshub ad Azariah who repaired the sections next to their won houses.
Can you get the picture of the unbroken team working side by side. The scriptures list individuals by name and group, literally shoulder to shoulder all the way around the walls of the city until "At last the wall was completed to half its original height around the entire city, for the people had worked with all their heart.."
Don't you love that picture: each person working on an individual task, but toward one important goal. But the job was only half done when the real challenges started.
7 But when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites and the people of Ashdod heard that the repairs to Jerusalem’s walls had gone ahead and that the gaps were being closed, they were very angry. 8 They all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and stir up trouble against it. 9 But we prayed to our God and posted a guard day and night to meet this threat. . .13I 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.
They worked together and then, shoulder to shoulder, they also prayed together even as they took action.
Can you imagine how overwhelming the threat would have been faced alone? But they were together, though thick and thin, work and prayer. They found courage in one another...and in a great and awesome God who gave them their purpose.
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.
Call it coincidence, but that same sentiment is echoed in the words of Paul in the NT reading on this same day: "Happiness or sadness or wealth should not keep anyone from doing God's work... I want you do do whatever will help you serve the Lord best, with as few distraction as possible. " 1 Corinthians 7:30
Fear, hard work, and discouragement are only some of the distractions. Paul talks about others. One way around them, for the former exiles, was to stick together and work shoulder to shoulder for a purpose that was bigger than any one person. So they persevered TOGETHER with one great God unifying them:
Nehemiah 6:15 So the wall was completed on the twenty-fifth of October, just fifty-two days after the work began.
16 When all our enemies heard about this, all the surrounding nations were afraid and lost their self-confidence, because they realized that this work had been done with the help of our God.
What else can explain a rag tag group of sinners unified, working against obstacles and succeeding in a monumental task of great importance? It kind of describes a family, a church, a mission, a workplace, and a community. It certainly describes most of the work I've ever done in a group - when we have all rallied around each other and God's purpose. It definitely describes how I am walking through the process of cancer with my dad. My "family" can't come with me physically, but they are standing shoulder to shoulder with me in prayer. This is not a "job" we were meant to do alone and I am so thankful that lessons of the past taught me that BEFORE the real challenges started.
We can go it alone or we can find those who will stand shoulder to shoulder with us to do the work and face the challenges with the help of our God. It's hard to flee when your wedged in between others standing strong.
Nehemiah 1-7
1 Corinthians 7-8
Psalm 31-33
Proverbs 21:5-10
That is the day the chore chart was born in our house. Our five year old couldn't do much, but I desperately needed him to do something, so I taught him to fold towels. He also learned how to feed the dog, make his bed, clean up his toys, and put the cap back on the toothpaste. They were small contributions to the overall work, but HUGE for my sanity having someone to work with -even if he was only three feet tall. In time all the kids grew and began to take on a part of the work of building our family. (And yes, my husband helped greatly, but we are a high maintenance, high mess family!)
With imperfect helpers and ample obstacles, I discovered that working shoulder to shoulder has more benefits than just "getting the work done." It is about sharing the same vision to accomplish the same purpose. It is easier to be committed when the people around you are committed. That is a lesson family has taught me that I have taken into many places outside my home. You can't always have a "team" but when you can, it can make a huge difference! It is the same lesson Nehemiah demonstrated when he recruited the whole "family" of Israel to be part of his vision to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. (Nehemiah 1-7)
By the time Nehemiah records his memoirs, others had already returned to the Promised Land from 70 years of exile in Babylon. The previous group was able to rebuild the Temple of God, but there was no security and the city's re-population was slow. The walls around the city had been destroyed and the gates had been burned. Nehemiah, a Jew still in Persia, was a cup bearer to King Artaxerxes. When he heard of the of the disastrous state of the city, he longed to do something.
Nehemiah 1: 4 When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven.
I don't want to get off on a tangent, but let me just say WOW about Nehemiah's prayer. He was in a bad-news situation. He was a captive. His people were captives. His homeland was in ruins. He had no control over his situation. So how does he pray? “Lord, the God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love..."
Rather than moaning and lamenting his situation, blaming God or blaming his enemies, Nehemiah remembers the character of God, and honors God in the midst of his tragedy. He confesses his own rebellion against God. He affirms God's right to punish, God's right to allow calamity for His own purposes. Nehemiah had not even been born when God allowed the Jews to be conquered and exiled for their national rebellion, yet he confess personally knowing that his own sins justify any punishment God executed. That's convicting! So often I look for "the thing" that I may have done that allowed hardship; or "the thing" someone else has done. Like Nehemiah, I need to remember that the bottom line is "I am a sinner." Regardless if my situation is active punishment or passive testing, rather than bickering with God about whether "this calamity" is justified, I long to be like the cup bearer who appealed on the basis of God's love, not his own worthiness - That is a much more reliable plea!
There are many lessons in his prayer, as he grieves, fasts and then seeks God's hand for a specific task. I hope you will have time to go back and dwell on his example; it is such a personal look at a man of purpose, one that is a great model for us today.
In the end, the king granted Nehemiah's request to return to Jerusalem, and then some! He sent him with an armed escort for protection, a letter of authority, and resources to complete the work. Favor, indeed. The real work was just starting though. Not only were the walls torn down, there were also powerful people who did not want them rebuilt. Nehemiah wisely recognized this was not a job for him alone and he recruited others to be part of the vision.
17 Then I said to them, “You see the trouble we are in: Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned with fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and we will no longer be in disgrace.” 18 I also told them about the gracious hand of my God on me and what the king had said to me. They replied, “Let us start rebuilding.” So they began this good work.
No sugar coating the issue, but also giving God center stage, Nehemiah looked for and accepted the help of all those who wanted to be part of this good work. And so it began - almost the entire city working shoulder to shoulder. The following scriptures describe in details the area where individuals did their part.
It reads something like this from Nehemiah 3... Shallum worked on the Fountain gate.... next to him the son of Azbuck rebuilt a wall near the cemetery...next was a group of Levites...next down the line were his countrymen led by Binnui...next to them was Baruch who repaired buttresses...next to him was Zavvai and Meremoth... then came priests...after them Benjamin, Hasshub ad Azariah who repaired the sections next to their won houses.
Can you get the picture of the unbroken team working side by side. The scriptures list individuals by name and group, literally shoulder to shoulder all the way around the walls of the city until "At last the wall was completed to half its original height around the entire city, for the people had worked with all their heart.."
Don't you love that picture: each person working on an individual task, but toward one important goal. But the job was only half done when the real challenges started.
7 But when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites and the people of Ashdod heard that the repairs to Jerusalem’s walls had gone ahead and that the gaps were being closed, they were very angry. 8 They all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and stir up trouble against it. 9 But we prayed to our God and posted a guard day and night to meet this threat. . .13I 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.
They worked together and then, shoulder to shoulder, they also prayed together even as they took action.
Can you imagine how overwhelming the threat would have been faced alone? But they were together, though thick and thin, work and prayer. They found courage in one another...and in a great and awesome God who gave them their purpose.
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.
Call it coincidence, but that same sentiment is echoed in the words of Paul in the NT reading on this same day: "Happiness or sadness or wealth should not keep anyone from doing God's work... I want you do do whatever will help you serve the Lord best, with as few distraction as possible. " 1 Corinthians 7:30
Fear, hard work, and discouragement are only some of the distractions. Paul talks about others. One way around them, for the former exiles, was to stick together and work shoulder to shoulder for a purpose that was bigger than any one person. So they persevered TOGETHER with one great God unifying them:
Nehemiah 6:15 So the wall was completed on the twenty-fifth of October, just fifty-two days after the work began.
16 When all our enemies heard about this, all the surrounding nations were afraid and lost their self-confidence, because they realized that this work had been done with the help of our God.
What else can explain a rag tag group of sinners unified, working against obstacles and succeeding in a monumental task of great importance? It kind of describes a family, a church, a mission, a workplace, and a community. It certainly describes most of the work I've ever done in a group - when we have all rallied around each other and God's purpose. It definitely describes how I am walking through the process of cancer with my dad. My "family" can't come with me physically, but they are standing shoulder to shoulder with me in prayer. This is not a "job" we were meant to do alone and I am so thankful that lessons of the past taught me that BEFORE the real challenges started.
We can go it alone or we can find those who will stand shoulder to shoulder with us to do the work and face the challenges with the help of our God. It's hard to flee when your wedged in between others standing strong.
Nehemiah 1-7
1 Corinthians 7-8
Psalm 31-33
Proverbs 21:5-10
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