DAILY HOPE DEVOTIONAL: NOVEMBER 7 SUPPRESSING OPPOSITIONS (2) SCRIPTURE: NEHEMIAH 2: 19; 4: 2-3

The thrust of yesterday’s devotional could appear as “note your oppressors and then suppress them if you must become an achiever.”Amongst many leaders in the Bible, apart from Jesus Christ, Nehemiah was credited with most excellent leadership qualities to emulate. But he never achieves the fame without facing stern oppositions. He was a Hebrew captive, living in Persia when King Artaxerxes was in power. He was like had served the King excellently as a prisoner of war, till he gained respect from the King in the midst of enemies from the Persians. On hearing from the fellow Jews who had returned to Jerusalem, how things were in shamble and in a pitiful condition there, he got permission from King Artaxerxes to go and rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. Here was a city all the walls were completely broken down and the gates all burnt. Nehemiah went, called his people together to rebuild the city walls and the gates.

As soon as Nehemiah and his people rose to rebuild, three formidable groups led by Sanballat, Tobiah and Geshem gathered opposing allies to stop them from building the walls and reconstructing the gates. One Roy L. Laurin, the Author of a book titled “Designed for Conquest” remarked that Sanballat and Tobiah hated the Hebrews, and viewed their rehabilitation with evil concern, and were determined to oppose in every possible way. Not only to hinder them, but to halt them completely from rebuilding the city. Our oppossers attack us through jealousy, hate and with evil concern. They aim not only to hinder us from achieving our plans in life but to halt the plans completely. Executors of opposing plans usually start with allegation and ridiculing our efforts. Sanballat and Tobiah started by alleging Nehemiah of rebelling against the King as well as ridiculing Nehemiah (Neh. 2: 19; 4: 2-3).

Most often, our distractors use demeaning languages to ridicule us out of our good plans. Hear what the people were speaking to the hearing of Nehemiah “What do these miserable Jews think they’re doing? Do they intend to rebuild the city? Do they think by offering sacrifices they can finish the work in a day? Can they make building-stones out of heaps of burnt rubble?” (Neh. 4: 2; Good News Bible). Nothing destroys good ambition than destructive ridiculing. But Nehemiah suppressed this with prayers. He and his people prayed to God for “strength and courage” and told God to “turn the reproach of the enemies upon their heads…” This should be the first weapon of Christians, should they come face to face with oppositions. You studying this devotional today, what has been your first response to those opposing your plans in life? How did you fail? How did you pray to God to take care of the reproach of your adversaries?

PRAYERS:

1. Ask God in prayers today that He turns the reproach of your distractors upon their heads and allows them to be consumed by their own hates and evil concerns in Jesus name.

2. Pray and ask God to deliver fellow Christians passing through destructive oppositions against their good plans in life in Jesus name.

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