Rebuilding My Stonewall
Welcome to Stonewall!
Nehemiah 4:6 "So we rebuilt the wall...for the people worked with all their heart."
For those of you who know me, you're probably shaking your heads right now. Really Abbie, Stonewall? Like the general from the Civil War? Look, I know I'm obsessed with the Civil War, and Gettysburg, and especially that guy, but no. This isn't solely a Civil War blog. Its more of a journey. (And we'll see if I can sprinkle in some Civil War later, just because. I can't help it).
A few weeks ago, I was visiting a church with family, and the pastor was focusing on a piece of Scripture from the book of Nehemiah. If you've never read Nehemiah, its one of the small books in the Old Testament. (For all of you that just recited the Old Testament books to find Nehemiah--after Ezra and before Esther, Job and Psalms--I am proud of you). Nehemiah was a cup bearer, serving King Artaxerxes of Persia, who had just conquered the Babylon kingdom. History nerds, this is approximately 539 B.C.. Babylon had already conquered the country of Israel--God's chosen people--and destroyed their capitol city, Jerusalem. The whole city was desecrated, including the mighty walls and gates along the perimeter. Now, under the Persians and King Artaxerxes, the Israelites were slowly given permission to return to Israel and Jerusalem. Their exile was over.
Nehemiah, a servant to the king, felt called by God to go to the home city and rebuild the wall. He prayed and asked the king to grant him time to go to Jerusalem to rebuild. Surprisingly, King Artaxerxes allowed him to go.
The Israelite exiles worked hard to rebuild their city. Imagine the shame and disgrace they must have felt seeing their mighty city trampled by their enemies. The wall around the city was Nehemiah's main focus, and he wanted to make sure God's chosen people would be safe inside the walls, and all evil would stay outside.
If you read through the book of Nehemiah, he actually completes the rebuilding of the wall in just 52 days, with each man working on the portion of the wall just outside his house. To one man, the task seemed daunting, but working together, they got the work done and ready to rededicate in just a couple of months.
Wall of Jerusalem Photo Credit
That's what I feel called to do.
No, I'm not buying a plane ticket to Israel.
I'm starting with me.
We each have a city to protect: our bodies. Heart, mind and soul. The Bible says our bodies are literally "...temples of the Holy Spirit" and that we "...are not our own" (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). We have something to protect, being vessels of Jesus. I feel challenged that I have allowed evil to get into my 'temple', the body that is supposed to be Christ-centered. I say I follow God, yet I allow myself to have distractions, addictions, even idols. There are things taking residence in my city that do not belong inside the wall. If we're all being honest, that's a common struggle. So I am starting out on a journey to rid myself of all wickedness and "press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 3:14)
I'm going to rebuild my stonewall. This is my journey. My hope, and my prayer is, that you will join me.
Does this make sense? Are you interested in starting your journey? Do you have some wisdom to share from a journey already begun? Let's talk about it.
Nehemiah 4:6 "So we rebuilt the wall...for the people worked with all their heart."
For those of you who know me, you're probably shaking your heads right now. Really Abbie, Stonewall? Like the general from the Civil War? Look, I know I'm obsessed with the Civil War, and Gettysburg, and especially that guy, but no. This isn't solely a Civil War blog. Its more of a journey. (And we'll see if I can sprinkle in some Civil War later, just because. I can't help it).
A few weeks ago, I was visiting a church with family, and the pastor was focusing on a piece of Scripture from the book of Nehemiah. If you've never read Nehemiah, its one of the small books in the Old Testament. (For all of you that just recited the Old Testament books to find Nehemiah--after Ezra and before Esther, Job and Psalms--I am proud of you). Nehemiah was a cup bearer, serving King Artaxerxes of Persia, who had just conquered the Babylon kingdom. History nerds, this is approximately 539 B.C.. Babylon had already conquered the country of Israel--God's chosen people--and destroyed their capitol city, Jerusalem. The whole city was desecrated, including the mighty walls and gates along the perimeter. Now, under the Persians and King Artaxerxes, the Israelites were slowly given permission to return to Israel and Jerusalem. Their exile was over.
Nehemiah, a servant to the king, felt called by God to go to the home city and rebuild the wall. He prayed and asked the king to grant him time to go to Jerusalem to rebuild. Surprisingly, King Artaxerxes allowed him to go.
The Israelite exiles worked hard to rebuild their city. Imagine the shame and disgrace they must have felt seeing their mighty city trampled by their enemies. The wall around the city was Nehemiah's main focus, and he wanted to make sure God's chosen people would be safe inside the walls, and all evil would stay outside.
If you read through the book of Nehemiah, he actually completes the rebuilding of the wall in just 52 days, with each man working on the portion of the wall just outside his house. To one man, the task seemed daunting, but working together, they got the work done and ready to rededicate in just a couple of months.
Wall of Jerusalem Photo Credit
That's what I feel called to do.
No, I'm not buying a plane ticket to Israel.
I'm starting with me.
We each have a city to protect: our bodies. Heart, mind and soul. The Bible says our bodies are literally "...temples of the Holy Spirit" and that we "...are not our own" (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). We have something to protect, being vessels of Jesus. I feel challenged that I have allowed evil to get into my 'temple', the body that is supposed to be Christ-centered. I say I follow God, yet I allow myself to have distractions, addictions, even idols. There are things taking residence in my city that do not belong inside the wall. If we're all being honest, that's a common struggle. So I am starting out on a journey to rid myself of all wickedness and "press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 3:14)
I'm going to rebuild my stonewall. This is my journey. My hope, and my prayer is, that you will join me.
Does this make sense? Are you interested in starting your journey? Do you have some wisdom to share from a journey already begun? Let's talk about it.
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