In the 4th chapter of Nehemiah the Jews are mocked as they attempt to rebuild the wall of their devastated city. If being faced with a home city in tatters is not enough their neighbours mock their efforts to rebuild then, to add injury to insult, they threaten physical violence. And it doesn’t end there. While their strength is giving out they are faced, not only with rebuilding an entire city wall, but clearing masses of rubble. “There is so much rubble that we cannot rebuild the wall”, they say. How do you motivate yourself to face a task that you don’t believe you can accomplish when everyone is betting on you failing anyway?

Nehemiah first establishes a plan of action. He positions people at the weakest points with bows, spears and swords. Then he gives them a reason to fight. “Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your families, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes,” he tells them. I’ve seen nature programmes where a female will fight another animal far superior in size and strength to protect her young and her home. In some cases the aggressor will give up out of shear bewilderment, totally unprepared for such an encounter.

History is full of examples of armies and individuals who have fought against unassailable odds and won through conviction and self-belief. Being convinced of success can actually work against you because once that conviction is questioned you are vulnerable to doubt. But Nehemiah’s brilliance shows in the double-edged sword that he presents to his people. “When you fight for everything you hold dear”, he says, “Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome.”

Great tacticians will tell you to always ensure you fight the right battles. God does not fight our battles but instead he calls us to fight with him. We fight for what we hold dear but in his name. Jesus tells us to take his yoke. “Put your burdens on my cart,” he tells us, “And we’ll pull it together.” There is so much rubble in our lives, so much baggage, so many unanswered questions, so much heartache; we cannot rebuild. Like Pilgrim from Pilgrims Progress, all we can do is leave it at the foot of the cross and remember our Lord.

It’s tempting to skip ahead and see the Jews completing the wall but hindsight is no help in the heat of the battle. So long as we know why we fight and who is our patron we can find the strength to press on with the hope that tells us we are not fighting in vain.

Fear grips us and we are discouraged.
Indignation follows as we realize our adversary has no justification for his accusations.
Game plan is the order of the day.
Hope rises now that we have an objective.
Tenacity is what we need to maintain impetus.

Under Nehemiah the Jews fight or flight response is to F.I.G.H.T.