Progress Does Not Stop Opposition, Don’t Allow Opposition to Stop You!

You would have thought that Sanballat and Tobiah would have seen that they were mistaken about the building project. Earlier in chapter 2, they mocked Nehemiah’s plans. Despite their discouragement, Nehemiah and the people persevered and began work on the wall. This progress did not stop Sanballat and Tobiah from criticising again. In today’s passage, we see them doubling down on their comments. Not only are they critical but they are also angry. It wouldn’t surprise me if their anger was simply because they got it so terribly wrong.

Nehemiah’s response to their words was threefold. Firstly, he did not engage with it. All too often, we get distracted by our critics and respond to what they are saying instead of ignoring them. This usually slows down our progress on the real task at hand. Nehemiah took a different approach, he prayed to God. Believing God would vindicate him, he continued building the wall. The project never stopped. Nehemiah and his team just kept going until it was half the height of the city.

This passage reveals to us, that no matter how wrong people might be about us and our motives, even when they are proven false, some people will continue to criticise us. We should not be distracted by this, our response ought to be to pray and to continue the work before us.

Questions for reflection: Have I stopped working on something because of criticism even though I had traction? Have my critics become a distraction to my calling? Do I need to ask the Lord to help me ignore my critics? Have I prayed about my opposition? Have I decided to continue in the face of opposition? contribution? Have I considered that my role might be part of a bigger chain?