And they said to me, “The survivors who are left from the captivity in the province are there in great distress and reproach. The wall of Jerusalem is also broken down, and its gates are burned with fire.”
So it was, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned for many days; I was fasting and praying before the God in heaven.     Nehemiah 1:3-4 NKJV

Nehemiah was a cupbearer to the king. He spent a great deal of time with the king and put his life on the line every day for him. He was to taste anything the king was to drink to be sure it was not poisoned in the event that someone may try to assassinate the king.

In verse three when it refers to the survivors left from the captivity it refers to the time when the Jews were taken captive. God allowed this because of their repeated disobedience and the fact that they had fallen into idolatry. God sent prophets like Isaiah and Jeremiah to warn them, but they refused to listen. Eventually they were taken captive where they would be held for 70 years.

You can see from these verses that Nehemiah was mourning after learning that the wall of Jerusalem was broken down and its gates were burned. Why would he be so sad over this wall? A wall around a city signified strength and fortification. With the walls torn down it made the city appear weak and vulnerable to attack.

How is your wall these days? Do you feel solid, safe and fortified? Do you feel protected and secure? Or do you feel exposed and vulnerable?

We are told in Psalms 91:1-2, if we choose to dwell in the secret place of the Most High, we shall abide in the shadow of the Almighty. Then we can say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.” We are safe and secure in the arms of God.

However, when we choose to step away from the secret place of the Most High, we can break down our wall. We can be left vulnerable to enemy attack.

If you are feeling vulnerable, perhaps you need to rebuild the wall. In the story of Nehemiah, after he fasted and prayed God gave him favor with the king. Nehemiah asked the king if he could return to Jerusalem and rebuild the wall. The king not only allowed him to go, but he saw to it that he had everything he needed to make the journey and rebuild the wall.

If your disobedience has caused your walls to be torn down, know that you can find favor with the king of kings if you simply repent. Turn to God. Return to His secret place where you can abide in His shadow and be safe.

It’s not easy to rebuild these walls, we must surrender ourselves to Him. We must die to self and live in Christ. When we do this the strength and safety we will receive will be well worth it. We won’t miss anything we gave up, but will bask in the peace and joy we have in Him.

If you have stepped away from God’s protection and your disobedience has torn down your walls of safety, it’s not too late. You can rebuild these walls with God’s help. Do as Nehemiah did. Repent. Fast and pray and lean on God for direction. He will be glad to help you and provide all you need to rebuild the wall.

Have a great day!