Nehemiah and the Israelites were working to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem against fierce harassment and opposition from those around them. 
Active plans were being made against them and violence directed at them.
Rather than being discouraged or giving up, Nehemiah asked them to do 2 things:
1) remember the Lord,
2) fight for your brethren, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your houses. 
Two things happened: 
1) God brought the plot of their enemies to nothing,
2) from that time onward half the people worked and the other half held the spears and defended them. 
With one hand they built and with one hand they held a weapon. 
This is the reality of being a Christian in the world. 
We understand that we are called to build but we must also know that there will be opposition. 
In that opposition we must call on the Lord to thwart the plans of the enemy. 
But we must also be prepared to defend not only ourselves, but our brethren and our families. Nehemiah recognized that because of the extensiveness of the work the people were scattered. 
The call of the trumpet would be used to rally the people together when there was a need. 
Today we need a trumpet call in the body. 
We require a way to come together to call on the name of the Lord and to support one another. 
A phone call, a note in the mail, an email or text goes a long way to encourage one another; and regularly coming together as a body to pray and exhort one another. 
The wall was rebuilt under the wisdom of Nehemiah, despite the opposition, because Nehemiah took his directions from the Lord and because he taught the people to stand strong, firm and as one. 
Oh that we would take that direction today!

Nehemiah and the Israelites were working to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem against fierce harassment and opposition from those around them. 
Active plans were being made against them and violence directed at them.
Rather than being discouraged or giving up, Nehemiah asked them to do 2 things:
1) remember the Lord,
2) fight for your brethren, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your houses. 
Two things happened: 
1) God brought the plot of their enemies to nothing,
2) from that time onward half the people worked and the other half held the spears and defended them. 
With one hand they built and with one hand they held a weapon. 
This is the reality of being a Christian in the world. 
We understand that we are called to build but we must also know that there will be opposition. 
In that opposition we must call on the Lord to thwart the plans of the enemy. 
But we must also be prepared to defend not only ourselves, but our brethren and our families. Nehemiah recognized that because of the extensiveness of the work the people were scattered. 
The call of the trumpet would be used to rally the people together when there was a need. 
Today we need a trumpet call in the body. 
We require a way to come together to call on the name of the Lord and to support one another. 
A phone call, a note in the mail, an email or text goes a long way to encourage one another; and regularly coming together as a body to pray and exhort one another. 
The wall was rebuilt under the wisdom of Nehemiah, despite the opposition, because Nehemiah took his directions from the Lord and because he taught the people to stand strong, firm and as one. 
Oh that we would take that direction today!