Meanwhile, the people of Judah said, “The strength of the laborers is giving out, and there is so much rubble we cannot rebuild the wall.”  Also our enemies said, “Before they know it or see us, we will … kill them and put an end to the work.”  The Jews who lived near them came and told us ten times over, “Wherever you turn, they will attack us” (Nehemiah 4:10-12).

Ah, it seemed like such a great idea: rebuild those ancient walls!  And so much had gone so amazingly well: the king not only gave his permission, he also provided needed resources.  The people responded well and devoted themselves to the work.  A community was coming back to life, and a devastated city was experiencing a kind of resurrection.  The good hand of our God was upon us!

And then … The work is difficult and exhausting, adversaries are astir, and intensifying opposition elicits rising fear.  Maybe we missed God?

Maybe we need opposition more than we think.  Maybe opposition is one of God’s tools to form us into a faithful, fruitful people.

Opposition can help clarify and purify our motives.  We know how easy it can be for us to baptize our plans in God-talk.  As Nehemiah and the people face rising resistance to the rebuilding, they are forced to revisit and refine their understanding of what God has called them to.  Opponents can be friends in disguise—their hostility and resistance can help us purify our motives and actions.

Muscles can only be built through resistance—true for my biceps, true in the spiritual dimensions of life.  If it weren’t for that nasty opposition of gravity, I could easily do 100 pushups!  To build more muscle mass I have to work the muscles I have to the point of failure. Over time instead of meeting failure at my third pushup, it’s now on my tenth pushup … then my twentieth, thirtieth, then ...  Hey, I can pushup my age!  (I am not describing myself … yet!)

We can see the spiritual muscle mass of the people increasing as they face obstacles and meet opposition.  They are repeatedly reminded about who God is and what God has said.  They are repeatedly in situations where they must pray.  They learn to listen and trust good, godly leadership, and to rely upon one another in new and deeper ways.  They learn to work together, and to take responsibility for their specific section of the rebuilding.  

They get the wall rebuilt.

Sanballat, Geshem the Arab, and nearly all the other opponents drop out of the story after Nehemiah 6.  Their opposition was real but temporary.  (Tobiah continues to be a problem, but a minor one, so let’s save that for another day.)

It got worse for a while, but then the faithful God working in and through a faithful-becoming people – it got really good.

They got the wall rebuilt.

Where has doing God’s will seem to have gotten worse for you?  Which of your “spiritual muscles” need some strengthening—and what are one or two “exercises” that will help you build the muscles to meet the opposition?