The Fish Gate was rebuilt by the sons of Hassenaah. They laid its beams and put its doors and bolts and bars in place. Meremoth son of Uriah, the son of Hakkoz, repaired the next section. Next to him Meshullam son of Berekiah, the son of Meshezabel, made repairs, and next to him Zadok son of Baana also made repairs.
- Nehemiah 3:3-4

Today we start into a section of scripture where we see a long list of all of the people who worked on the massive rebuilding project in post-exilic Jerusalem. We’re always tempted to skip over or scan past passages like these, but if we do we’ll miss some awesome and encouraging truths that the Lord has preserved for us in his word.

Nehemiah noticed the particular people who worked on the project and paid attention to their particular work. God noticed too.

How often have we served, given, and prayed – pouring out our lives for people we care about – and have wondered if all we did went unnoticed?

Part of what made Nehemiah an extraordinary leader was that he didn’t lose sight of the contributions of particular people, even in the midst of a large-scale and complex project. The narrative of the rebuilding project could skip over these lists of names, but it wouldn’t be Nehemiah’s narrative if it did. He wasn’t going to take credit for the work all by himself.

In a mysterious way, the same can be said of God. If anyone could take exclusive credit for all of the good done in the world, it’s him. But he commends his servants: “Well done!” And he promises to reward even our feeblest and smallest efforts to love him and our neighbors. How could he do this if he wasn’t paying attention?

The Lord sees you. He knows your every efforts. Just as he saw the work of the sons of Hassenaah, he sees what you’re doing. Your particular part in God’s good work has not gone unnoticed by him.

Don’t give up.