Neh 2:5 And I said unto the king, If it please the king, and if thy servant have found favour in thy sight, that thou wouldest send me unto Judah, unto the city of my fathers' sepulchres, that I may build it.

Nehemiah is the story of the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem. Nehemiah built walls. Why did he need to do it? Wasn’t there already a wall standing in Jerusalem? Indeed, there was a wall but it was broken. Nebuchadnezzar destroyed the wall and laid it in ruins (2 Chronicles 36:19). And it had remained in that condition for more than a hundred years. Nehemiah came to repair the wall that had been broken into pieces.

But Nehemiah did more than rebuilding the wall; he was rebuilding the lives of the Jewish nation. This book is also the story of the restoration of a people from ruin and despair to a new walk with God. The spiritual wall he was building was more important than the physical wall he came to do.

What are the walls in your life that are broken and need rebuilding?

1. Is it your family that is broken? Many families are broken, even Christian families. It could be that the children are not talking to their parents or one of the parents. Build up your family: “Children, obey your parents in all things: for this is well pleasing unto the Lord” (Colossians 3:20).

2. Is it your marriage that is broken? Husbands, do you love your wives? Wives, do you love your husbands? It is sad when husbands and wives stop loving each other when the children are grown up. Husbands and wives: Build up your marriage: “Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as it is fit in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives, and be not bitter against them” (Colossians 3:18-19).

3. Is it your spiritual life that is broken? I have some who admit that their faith is weak. Their spiritual walls are broken. To these people, I say: “Do something about your wall. Do you want it to remain broken or do you want to rebuild it?” Build up your spiritual wall: “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might” (Ephesians 6:10).

What would you do when you detect something is wrong with your car? You send it to the workshop to get it fix. You repair things that are not working. Shouldn’t you also repair the cracks in your life? More so when you detect that your spiritual life is weak; you need to rebuild it. Shouldn’t you be concerned that it is weak and do something about it?

Nehemiah asked about the situation in Jerusalem not because he was curious but because he was concerned. He was very concerned to the point of weeping and fasting (Nehemiah 1:4). And his concern led him to act. Likewise, if you are concerned about your spiritual walls, you will act. You will never begin to build the walls of your life until you have first become greatly concerned about the ruins. Have you ever taken a good look at the ruins in your life? Is the relationship with God important to you? Is the wall weak? I urge you to strengthen your spiritual walls.

In ancient times, walls served to protect the city from the enemies’ invasions. As God wanted the wall of His holy city to be a strong to protect the city, so God wants the Christians today to be strong in the faith so that they can be protected from the attacks of Satan during spiritual warfare: “Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil” (Ephesians 6:11). Spiritual wall-building is to be a way of life for every growing Christian.

Today, we are faced with the same challenges from our adversary, the devil, as he tries to discourage and kill our spiritual growth. We need to build the walls that are broken: “Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand” (Ephesians 6:13). Is your wall standing?

Jimmy Lau

Psa 119:97  Oh how love I thy law! It is my meditation all the day.