Friday; March 2
One of my favorite stories in the Old Testament is the biography of Nehemiah. Nehemiah was a servant in the Persian king’s palace who came to learn that his ancestral homeland, Jerusalem, was in a shambles. Multiple invasions and decades of neglect had rendered the once great city a mess. Nehemiah felt compelled to leave his good job and make a difference for the people of Jerusalem and the Jewish religion. There are several great moments in the story of the rebuilding of the walls of the city of Jerusalem, but one of my favorites is summed up in this observation, “ So we built the wall a nd the whole wall was joined to gether to half its height , for the people had a mind to work .”. (Nehemiah 4:6) As I think about Nehemiah’s influence, I am fascinated by his leadership ability. You see, it wasn’t the people who made this happen. Many of them had been living in these conditions for years – the difference was in the leadership. Yes, the people provided the ma