Christian Living

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Monday, April 19, 2010

Raisin Hearts
Years before Nehemiah's time, the northern kingdom of Israel was conquered and most of the people were taken captive. Sargon of Assyria repopulated Israel with other captives who intermarried with the remaining Israelites. This mixed race were called the Samaritans. The Jews who returned during the time of Ezra and Nehemiah considered the Samaritans racially impure. Relations between the groups grew worse, especially while Nehemiah endeavored to rebuild the wall. During this time, Nehemiah faced many roadblocks to rebuilding God's wall; purposely engineered and carefully plotted.

Nehemiah 4:1-3 tells us about this, "When Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, he became angry and was greatly incensed. He ridiculed the Jews, and in the presence of his associates and the army of Samaria, he said, "What are those feeble Jews doing? Will they restore their wall? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they finish in a day? Can they bring the stones back to life from those heaps of rubble-burned as they are?" Tobiah the Ammonite, who was at his side said, "What are they building-if even a fox climbed up on it, he would break down their wall of stones."

This type of roadblock sound familiar? Undermining can strip us of hope. It throws the proverbial wet, wool blanket over the light in our hearts. It causes discouragement. It stirs up dissension and plants falsehood in the hearts of the hearers. One can only imagine what pleasure the speakers of these words gained...they were not fools. Neither is our enemy! Often, he will use others, those we might even consider close, to utter just a few choicely placed words to strip us of our purpose, to question our intent or to way-lay our plan. This is why we are warned specifically in Philippians 4:8 to corral our thoughts. "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-think about such things."

Nehemiah's response was exactly what God wanted. He prayed. "Hear us, O our God, for we are despised. Turn their insults back on their own heads. Give them over as plunder in a land of captivity. Do not cover up their guilt or blot out their sins from Your sight, for they have thrown insults in the face of the builders" (Nehemiah 4:4-5).

Aren't we all builders? God's plan is for us to build relationship first vertically (with Him), and then horizontally (with others). It is His perfect plan for us to draw the lost to Him. Nehemiah wisely turned to the One Who could and would deal with these nay-sayers justly--God. Instead of trading insult for insult, Nehemiah humbled himself and trusted God. Nehemiah's prayer is similar to David's in Psalm 7, "O Lord my God, I take refuge in You; save and deliver me from all who pursue me, or they will tear me like a lion and rip me to pieces with no one to rescue me." When we, in the face of hurtful and untrue words or actions, are faced with letting go of the past or hanging on, our wisest response is to turn to our Father. He removes the responsibility for retaliation from us.

Nehemiah was granted wisdom in how to proceed despite those who wished to "stir up trouble" against them...and the wall was eventually completed. Nehemiah said, "When our enemies heard that we were aware of their plot and that God had frustrated it, we all returned to the wall, each to his own work"(Nehemiah 4:15). Nehemiah was unwilling to allow the hurts caused by his enemies to prevent him from doing (and completing) God's work. We must never allow others, through words or actions against us, to divert us from the path that God has placed us on.

Here's the thing, sometimes, when we allow our focus to shift from God's plan to our own hurts, offenses or discouragements, we develop what I call raisin hearts. Raisin hearts are the wrinkled and shriveled after-effects of painful experiences that are not resolved God's way. They are the dried up remnants of once fat and juicy fruits. Fruits once attached to the nourishment of a vital and living vine. Fruits that did not allow the heat of a blazing sun to divorce them from what they needed to flourish. Nehemiah, through the very act of praying for God's Will, and a "strengthen[ing of] his hands," extended a forgiveness that only occurs when we remain closely attached to the One Who created it.

Even though Nehemiah could have easily held a grudge and allowed that grudge to reduce his heart to a wrinkled, dried-up raisin, he turned Heavenward. The easiest reaction to hurts is a reactivity that can be cruel and exacting. Cutting and painful. Trading injury for injury. Doing the hard thing is remaining attached to the True Vine. It is love. And forgiveness. And FORGIVENESS!!!! In this perfectly planned way, God's Will is enacted in and through us drawing a curious crowd of new, spring green buds.

c 04/19/2010 M. LaPointe

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