Nehemiah 4:11-14 – Overcoming overwhelming fear

The opposition to the rebuilding of Jerusalem persisted. They tried derogatory insults, but that didn’t work. So they tried threats but that made the Jews work even harder after they had prayed. Then that came to a point where the Jews were discouraged. The depleted manpower because some of them deployed to guard the work, and the massive heap of debris to be removed, plus tired and overworked bodies moralized them. When discouraged, it is always wise to take time to seek the Lord. We saw how David did it in the Psalms. Whenever he felt low, he comforted his soul in the Lord. That’s what we can also do when we feel the overwhelming weight of life.

Now in Nehemiah 4:11-14, we read that the enemies were spreading rumors of impending massive sneak attacks. They depended on the purveyors of rumors to help that spread the false message. Even in today’s Christian circle, we have people who mindlessly act as propagandists. They don’t check the facts of a matter to ascertain the truth. They just assume that what they heard is true. Like the situation in Nehemiah’s day, the v church today also faced false messages from all directions. Entertaining them can cause one to be needlessly gripped by fear.

When Nehemiah realized that the people were being negatively impacted, verses 13-14 tell us what he did to counter the intimidation. He “stationed men in the lowest parts of the space behind the wall, the exposed places, and I stationed the people in families with their swords, spears, and bows. When I saw their fear, I rose and spoke to the nobles, the officials, and the rest of the people: “Do not be afraid of them; remember the Lord who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your houses.” In other words, he stationed people, ready to deal with the threat. In case the attack truly happened. He pacified their fear by redirecting their eyes to God who had seen them through. He reminded them and assured them that God was well able to protect them.

We are living in a troublesome time. Every day we are beseeched with bad news. We keep hearing news of recession, inflation, food shortage, endless wars, etc. The key to staying confident in God is not to indulge in bad news, stay focused on the Lord, and keep our minds on Him. Remember God’s assurance in Isaiah 26:3-4:
“The steadfast of mind You (G0d) will keep in perfect peace,
Because he trusts in You.
“Trust in the Lord forever,
For in God the Lord, we have an everlasting Rock.”