So we rebuilt the wall till all of it reached half its height,
for the people worked with all their heart.
Meanwhile, the people in Judah said,
“The strength of the laborers is giving out,
and there is so much rubble we cannot rebuild the wall.”
Nehemiah 4:6, 10
There is often a lot of enthusiasm when we begin a significant project. We can go at it with great zeal. But over time we can begin to wear out. To sustain enthusiasm over a long period of time is difficult. And if you add being insulted, persecuted and criticized to it, well, we can get part way done and just want to give up. That is what happened to the Jewish people rebuilding the wall. They got half way done and wanted to give up.
Nehemiah 6:15 says, “So the wall was completed… in fifty-two days.”
It didn’t even take two months, but with the opposition of their enemies, and with the difficulty of working through the rubble, the people almost gave up half way through the project.
If God has put something on your heart to do, and you are getting discouraged, remember Galatians 6:9:
Let us not become weary in doing good,
for at the proper time we will reap a harvest
if we do not give up.
It will take more than fifty-two days for us to build the new addition at Crossroads. There will be inconveniences on our property as we do it. It will take three years to gather all the offerings to pay for it. Sometimes it might be easy to get discouraged and want to give up. But we believe God has called us to this, and if we do not become discouraged, if we keep working, at the proper time it will all come together – if we do not give up.
Is there something you felt God put on your heart to do that you are struggling with now? Do you just want to give up? (Maybe a New Year Resolution?) Let me encourage you to keep going!
