From that day on, half of my men did the work,
while the other half were equipped
with spears, shields, bows and armor.
The officers posted themselves behind all the people of Judah
who were building the wall.
Those who carried materials did their work with one hand
and held a weapon in the other,
and each of the builders wore his sword at his side as he worked.
Nehemiah 4:16-18
If you know Jesus as your Savior then you are called to be a part of seeing his kingdom furthered! We all are. That means using the spiritual gifts he has given us to serve him and to build up others. Sometimes that is teaching. Sometimes that is doing manual labor. For some it is leading others in worship. For others it is setting up coffee and donuts to build a welcoming environment where people sense they matter to us – and to God.
And while we are all called to serve in some way, we all also need to stop at times and serve others and serve God’s kingdom by praying!
That is what this passage reminds me of. Some were working hard at manual labor. Others watched over them with their armor on.
There are times you are called to work hard at serving Jesus and his kingdom – and there are times when you are called to pray over others who are doing the serving.
Before your day gets busy (if you are reading this in the morning), or right now while you have a few quiet moments (if you are reading this during a break or during your lunch hour), or right now when you have some alone time (if you are reading this in the evening or before you go to bed) take some time to “remember the Lord who is great and awesome” (Nehemiah 4:14) and to pray for his Spirit to watch over his church and those who are at work in his ministry right now!
If you don’t know any “prayer warriors” that you can call on in need, seek out Pastor Dave to help you find a small group, or join the men’s or women’s ministry and get connected! We all need others who will pray over us while we are at work for our Lord!
