“And I told them of the hand of my God that had been upon me for good, and also of the words that the king had spoken to me. And they said, “Let us rise up and build.” So they strengthened their hands for the good work.” (Nehemiah 2:18, ESV)
The work of rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem was good. The work was important. The work would be fulfilling. The work was from God.
But the work would be difficult. It would require strength. It would require wisdom. It would require skill. It would involve discipline and conditioning.
Nehemiah 2:18 tells us that the people would “strengthen their hands for the good work.” In other words, there was some discipline and conditioning that needed to be done if they were to be complete the task.
Every Fall, the leaves from our neighborhood seem to blow into our yard. I get the rake out and begin the task of cleaning up the leaves. But after an hour after raking the leaves, a blister will form on my hand. My hands have not been strengthened to do this yard work. As a result, I am not able to work as long as if my hands had been conditioned.
With many tasks in life, there are ways for us to condition our minds, our hands, our feet, and our skills for what God would have us accomplish. There is discipline and conditioning so that we will have the strength and endurance to finish the job. What is the task before you where you need to strengthen your hands?
Depending on the task, the way we “strengthen our hands” might be different. The way we do this might be:
- Reading
- Attending conferences
- Taking lessons
- Taking an online course
- Getting coach or trainer
- Excercise
- Quiet time/devotions
What else would you add? Build discipline to build endurance to finish the task.
As I leave you today, I want to let you know that I am signing off for the next two weeks. I am taking some vacation time with family. I look forward to sharing our next devotion on Nehemiah in 2 weeks.
Reflection
- What is the task God has given you where you need to “strengthen your hands?”
- How do you “strengthen your hands” for this task?
Prayer
Lord, grant me the discipline to “strengthen my hands” for the tasks that you have given me. Give me the endurance to finish the job so that I might honor you and give glory to you in all that I do. When I am too weak to carry on, I pray that you will lift me up and give strength to my weary soul. Amen!
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