When God Calls You to Rally Others for the Work
Nehemiah 2:17–20
After praying and probing, Nehemiah steps into the moment every leader eventually faces: persuading others to join the work. Jerusalem had lived in disgrace for generations. The people were discouraged, defeated, and used to disappointment. Then Nehemiah stands before them with one of the most powerful leadership appeals in Scripture.
“You see the trouble we are in… Come, let us build… that we may no longer suffer reproach.”
Nehemiah identifies with the people — not as an outsider with solutions, but as a brother standing in the rubble with them. He names the pain honestly. He casts a simple, compelling vision. And he gives them a motive greater than themselves: the honour of God.
Then he shares testimony — the hand of God on him, the favour of the king, the miracle of provision. Suddenly despair breaks, hope rises, and the people say, “Let us rise up and build.” Vision becomes movement.
But right on cue, opposition erupts. Mockery. Accusation. Intimidation. Sanballat, Tobiah, and Geshem form a three-front resistance. Nothing threatens the enemy like God’s people rebuilding what displays His glory.
Nehemiah doesn’t argue. Doesn’t defend. Doesn’t get distracted. He simply says:
“The God of heaven will make us prosper… we will arise and build.”
Sometimes the most spiritual thing you can do is ignore the noise and keep building.
If God has stirred a burden in your heart — for your family, your church, your workplace, your city — your next step may be to gather others. Speak “we” language. Call people to something bigger than themselves. Tell stories of God’s faithfulness. Expect resistance, but don’t let it derail you.
The world changes when ordinary believers rise and build together — under the good hand of God.