God is always happy about a willing fellow; because he knows he can make out of that person what He desires (Matthew 4:19,20). Nehemiah was not thinking like others who thought, ‘Well, I’m not good enough for this job. I don’t even think God can use me for this huge task- God needs an extraordinary person.’ Availability is what counts with God; not ability. Why? Because he put the ability in you. So what he demands is a ready vessel; one who will give himself over to Him to be used (Romans 12:1; Ephesians 4:7). Nehemiah was the perfect choice. It’s amazing how that Nehemiah left the noble position of being the king’s cup-bearer in the Persian government. His responsibility was profound- he ensured the safety and quality of the king’s food and drink. Nevertheless, he saw the need to ‘arise and build.’ Nothing else mattered- he recognized that there was no higher calling that this: to get the walls rebuilt- because God was the ultimate person to please.So, in due time [that is, four months after he received the news], Nehemiah sought permission from King Artaxerxes to go to Jerusalem and rebuild the walls. His request was not rejected; he was favoured. God had already made provision for the logistics required- all that was needed now was access. Nehemiah accessed it indeed!
Nehemiah travelled, royal letters in hand, to Jerusalem. Not all was well though- they faced some opposition in rebuilding the wall. Sanballat, Tobiah, and some others tried all they could to frustrate the good work they were doing- but they failed miserably (Chapters 2 & 3). Why did the enemies fail? Because Nehemiah and the rest of the builders employed the right tactics- prayer, encouragement, guard duty, and consolidation (Chapter 4). As they progressed with the building of the walls, there was still opposition. But this time, the opposition was not an external one- it was internal. Rich Jews were profiteering off the plight of their working countrymen. Nehemiah thus faced the extortioners head-on, turning them away from their improper conduct. Furthermore, Nehemiah demonstrated remarkably great faith and trust in God, in that he- as well as his team- never demanded any financial remuneration from the inhabitants for the work they did. Nehemiah was focused on rebuilding the wall. It was as a result of his heeding the Voice of God that he had the tenacity to do so. In addition, there was so much abundance that he was able to extend aid to 150 Jewish officials regularly. Nehemiah was also confident that God would not leave him unrewarded (Chapter 5).
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