Bridging the Gap

 June 21, 2021

Nehemiah recounts how he ended up overseeing the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem some years after they were razed by the Babylonians. Years had passed, and now the Persians are the world power. Artaxerxes is king; Nehemiah is his cupbearer, the important but dangerous job of tasting the king’s wine to make sure it isn’t poisoned. Somehow in the course of his duties, some Jewish acquaintances who had recently arrived from Judah told him of the state of affairs in Jerusalem. When Nehemiah heard how the walls were still a pile of rubble, something inside him broke.

He couldn’t even stand. He sat down, wept and mourned for many days, fasting and praying.  The focus of his prayers were confessing his sins and those of his people, and begging God to bring his people back home. For four months he prayed, taking no action until the king noticed something bothering him and asked what it was. Kings in those days had absolute power which was often wielded capriciously. Appearing before the monarch with a solemn countenance could be fatal. He was afraid to tell the king what was on his heart, but spoke up anyway, paving the way for what proved to be his real calling in life.

What news has grabbed my heart? What events have driven me to repentance and prayer? There can be no cause, no calling apart from this inner stirring; life just continues without change or challenge until I am ready to listen to even a chance message from God and allow it to break my heart. Today, it’s not literal walls unless you consider the southern border wall that has been such a topic off contention over the past four years. Instead, the walls that are broken down are the barriers that protect people from the assaults of the evil one. Our culture has broken down the walls of morality and reason, allowing all sorts of evils that once were held at bay to surge in like a tsunami, inundating people and sweeping before it all that was good and holy. 

In answer to all this, God is speaking to his present-day Nehemiahs, those who faithfully carry out their duties, difficult and dangerous though they may be. He is calling us to rebuild broken down walls, offering our very selves as those who will stand in the gap (Ezekiel 22:30), sealing the breach, protecting his people.

“Lord Jesus, through St. Paul you told us that there would be a day when restraints would be torn apart, ushering in a season of unprecedented evil (2 Thessalonians 26-10). We don’t know if this is that day, but if not, it is a precursor to it. Open our hearts to seek your face, our minds to know your will, our eyes to see what you see, and our mouths to speak forth your word of truth, judgment, and grace, guarding those you love from the assaults of the evil one.”