Key Verse: 2 Timothy 3:12, "In fact, everyone wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted."
Have you seen the television show during which a whole house is completely torn down and rebuilt from scratch? Viewers love to see the transformation that takes place during a rebuilding process.
Nehemish was the original extreme makeover man, but instead of rebuilding a house, he tackled an entire city wall. A Jew living in exile in Persia, Nehemiah served as the cupbearer to King Artaxerxes I. He not only checked the wine for poisons, but he also served as confidant to the king. When Nehemiah heard the walls of Jerusalem had been torn down, he wept, morned, and fasted. Then he spent the next four months praying about the situation. During that time God formulated a plan in Nehemiah's mind for rebuilding the walls around Jerusalem. God also began molding Nehemiah into a spiritual leader.
Prayer played an important part in Nehemiah's life during the rebuilding of the walls. When he was given permission to return to Jerusalem, enemies of the Israelites mocked Nehemiah's plan. But his response was to pray. When those enemies threatened to attack the workers during the rebuilding process, Nehemiah prayed again about the situation. Then when rumors created discouragement among the workers, Nehemiah once more took the matter to God in prayer.
Nehemiah's passionate vision for rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem led him to discover a new level of trust in God. His spiritual leadership was stretched thin as he dealt with problem after problem, but each difficulty seemed to give him new strength. The real secret to Nehemiah's success was the thing his journey started with and centered on: Prayer.
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