| Can you imagine Nehemiah's feelings as he saw Jerusalem for the first time? He was thrilled, but he was also shocked. He was eager, but he was silent. He knew he was not quite ready for the great task ahead of him. Wherever would he start? For three days he sat quietly thinking about it all-we could add praying too. There will be plenty of action in the days ahead. Now was the time for planning and prayer. The next step was to have a look for himself at the ruins of the walls. There would be rubbish to remove, vines to be pulled down, stones to be found and put back in place. He needed to plan how to use the people and how to get them started on the big job of rebuilding. Then he talked with the 'people. He did not say,. 'You people ought to be ashamed of yourselves. You've lived here all these years and have done nothing.' Instead he identified himself with them in the task. He said, 'We have a problem; we need to db something. I believe God will help us. God is with us. The king is behind us. The job is in front of us. Let's get started.' Nehemiah did not promise an easy future. But the people responded wonderfully. They said, 'Let us rise up and build'. They put their hands to the work and in chapter three we will hear about their first working bee. But the moment they decided to begin, opposition started. Look at verse 19. We will meet these men time and time again in the book of Nehemiah. They will try in every way possible to hinder the work. But Nehemiah always had the, same answer. 'I stand-we stand-in-the will of God. If you stand against us, I warn you, God will deal with you.' There will be times when we will know the will of God for our lives, and then opposition will come. What will we do? Our refuge will be the will of God. Look at the criticism and see why God has allowed it. We never learn much from compliments, but we can sometimes learn from criticism. At that time, above all, let us never take our eyes off the Lord who has called us to his work. | 
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