Don’t Come Down
Well now, friend, step right up on this ol’ front porch and grab a seat that has rocked more folks than a front‑row pew at a summer revival. Your visit is plum a sight better than a real cool breeze on a July afternoon. I do declare that life can feel downright wild sometimes, kind of like tryin’ to carry a basket plum full of biscuits while a flock of chickens is convinced you’re hidin’ corn in your pockets. That there’s why Nehemiah 6:3, matters so much. “I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down.” When God is rebuilding something in your life, you just can’t be affordin’ to climb down every time a distraction comes and hollers your name.
Nehemiah knew all about broken places. Jerusalem’s walls were torn down, the gates were burned, and the whole city looked like it had been stomped by a herd of crazy ol’ goats wearin’ steel toed boots. Yet Nehemiah believed God could rebuild what had been ruined.
That there will preach, friend. Many of us know what it feels like to stand in front of ruins. A relationship cracks. Peace crumbles. Confidence collapses. Healin’ feels mighty slow, messy, and about as glamorous as muckin’ out a barn after a big ol’ rainstorm.
As Nehemiah worked, Sanballat and Geshem kept callin’ for him to come down from the wall. Their invitation sounded real polite, but Nehemiah recognized a trap. He said, “I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down.” Not every voice deserves your attention. Not every opinion deserves your explanation. Not every critic deserves a seat at your table. Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 reminds us that two are better than one because when one falls, the other can help lift him up. God often sends helpers, not hecklers.
Healin’ takes real courage. It plum takes boundaries. It sho’-nuff’ takes prayer. It takes the willingness to keep showin’ up when progress feels slower than an ol’ turtle crossin’ a muddy road. Nehemiah’s builders worked with one hand and held a weapon with the other hand in Nehemiah 4:17. They built while stayin’ real watchful. Galatians 6:9 tells us not to grow weary in well doing because in due season we will reap if we do not lose heart. And Philippians 1:6 promises that the God who began a good work in you will complete it.
Father, thank You for meetin’ us in our broken places. Give us courage to keep rebuildin’ when progress is slow and opposition is loud. Help us recognize distractions that pull us away from healing. Surround us with wise companions who strengthen our hands. Complete the good work You have begun. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
So, friend, you’ve gotta be stayin’ up on that wall. The fox may bark, the owl may hoot, and somebody down below may holler that you’re plum takin too long, but you keep right on layin’ those stones. God is buildin’ strength where sorrow once stood and peace where fear once dug a hole. What looks like rubble today may become tomorrow’s testimony of grace. Keep right on showin’ up. Keep right on prayin’. Keep right on trustin’. You’re doin’ a great work. Don’t you dare come down till the job is done!.
With joy,
Gwen
