The title of today’s message is ‘Rebuilding broken walls!’ I will be sharing from the book of Nehemiah. When the Lord began stirring this message in my heart, I asked Him, ”Lord, why do You want me to share on this?” And I sensed Him say: ”I want My people to build again. There has been a breaking down. There are ruins. Some people are in great despair, and many aren’t feeling safe. Each person’s life is of immense value to Me. I am the Lord Who restores, and I want My people to build again. It’s not just the rebuilt walls that I’m looking for, it’s all the inner work that takes place in people’s lives when they build. The process, not just the end result, will restore their souls.” Can you hear the heart of the Father? His heart is for us to be restored, and what does this restoration look like.
THINGS THAT CAN RESULT IN BROKEN-DOWN WALLS
There are many things that can cause broken down walls, but for the Israelites in Nehemiah’s day, it was sin. They were God’s people and He was their God. They were in a covenant relationship with Him, but over time their hearts started to long for the pleasures of the world and some even began to worship idols and the gods of the pagan nations. They sinned against God… breaking their covenant with Him. God had warned them about the consequences of sin (just as He warns us now), and a day came when the Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem, and carried God’s people into captivity. Only a remnant was left to work the land. However, it is not just sin that can lead to broken-down walls. It is anything that impacts our intimacy with God. It can be busyness, and worry, and stress that distracts us from the Lord. It can also be disappointment that has caused us to be angry with God, or to withdraw from Him. (I have seen this often with people who have lost a loved one, have experienced the ending of a relationship or a dream, and also with those struggling with chronic pain or illness). We can get discouraged when something doesn’t make sense. Recently a lady shared a testimony of a loved one who died; and how she got angry with God, because she loved the person so much. In her anger, she sinned, and came to a place where there were ruins all around her. But we serve a gracious and compassionate God, a God Who restores, and He has begun a beautiful work of restoration in that lady’s life. So, if you are reading this and there are ruins around you, please know that God wants to help you rebuild the walls. Even for the Israelites, God only allowed them to be in captivity for so long before He brought them back to the Promised land. The first group of exiles was led by Zerubbabel, and they rebuilt the temple (There is a lesson here for us. When we need restoration, this is where we should start too. We are the temple of the Holy Spirit, and the first step is to restore our relationship, intimacy and communion with the Lord).
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