Nehemiah prays 4 months, preparing to build a wall that gets built in 52 days. Why does the praying take longer than the work? It doesn't. The praying is the work. Praying is not the least you can do. It's the most you can do.
The devil thinks you'll turn away if he can make you feel ridiculous for following Jesus. He makes the world laugh at you. You feel stupid, on the wrong side, uncool. This is how the devil fights. Are you going to follow Jesus? Prepare to be mocked. And worse.
Most people skip Nehemiah Chapter 3. It's a lot of names, regular people doing regular things on regular days. We don't know or care about them. But God knows and cares about them. Just like he knows and cares about you.
Praying requires waiting. God doesn't jump when you say jump. To pray is to surrender to God's will and God's timing. But be honest, in your life with God, he spends a lot more time waiting on you than you spend waiting on him.
Nehemiah was doing well in his high position in the court of a Persian king, then he heard bad news from Jerusalem, 900 miles away. Their problem wasn't his problem. Until God burdens his heart. When's the last time your heart broke for the things that break God's great heart?
There are always preachers and big-time evangelists who pack stadiums and preach Jesus to the masses. But most people come to Christ through the everyday witness of someone they know personally. A Christian friend who is real and unembarrassed. Somebody like you.
