Facing Opposition

There is no such thing as an opportunity without opposition. We can try to run from opposition, but sooner or later it stares us in the face, and we have to deal with it. How we respond is pivotal. Everything hangs on that. People who are in the right can quickly look like they are in the wrong by the way they respond to opposition.

Several people had attempted rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem, and each one of them failed miserably. Then comes along Nehemiah the cupbearer. The opposition thought this one would be easy, but Nehemiah handled the rebuilding process with precision. Nehemiah chapter four tells us about his biggest hater named Sanballat. He ridiculed Nehemiah and tried to put words in his mouth. His next tactic was resistance. Sanballat gathered other haters to try to build resistance against Nehemiah and those rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem.

Rumors were Sanballat’s final tactic. Nehemiah 4:11 records these rumors, “Meanwhile, our enemies were saying, ‘Before they know what’s happening, we will swoop down on them and kill them and end their work.’” One of the best ways to spread rumors is to feed on people’s fear. Nehemiah’s opposition was trying to scare the workers about an upcoming attack, so they would panic and abandon their rebuilding duties.

Nehemiah found there was no real action behind the opposition’s ridicule, resistance, and rumors. It was just a bunch of hype. Today’s devotional started with saying there is no opportunity without opposition, but the saying also is true if you flip it around. There is no opposition without opportunity. Our church faced all kinds of opposition as we rebuilt the old Toys R’ Us store. Even greater than the physical rebuild was the spiritual rebuild of the people in the community. My phone was stolen from my car in the church parking lot. The next day I called it and talked to the guy who stole it. He disrespected me and cursed me out. I prayed, listened to his pain, and started sharing my testimony. Long story short, later that day he came to the church, returned my phone, and I had the opportunity to pray with him. The next time you face some opposition, you never know what God might be up to.

Rebuilding Blocks For Today:

1. Identify some personal opposition you have faced in the past year. How can you deal with it better and not let it distract you?
2. Have you ever had opposition turn into an opportunity?