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THE TIME OF ENDURANCE (NEHEMIAH 13:15-30) LENT DAY 32

REFLECTION
The theme for our reflection is “The time for endurance” Endurance is the ability to continue with an unpleasant or difficult situation, experience, or activity over a long period of time. “The time for endurance” is the period in one life where there is a need to demonstrate resilience, discipline and consistency in the ability to withstand challenges, unpleasant situations or experience. We shall reflect on the fact that a leader and for that matter a representative of the Lord must undergo a time of endurance in a spiritually and morally corrupt or challenging world. Before we proceed, It is important to mention that if you a parent or if others look up to you for guidance and encouragement then you are also a leader. Again, if your life or position in life and character is likely to influence others then you are leader.

Beloved in the Lord, a leaders and for that matter, a servant of God is not immune to challenges, He or she must go through a period of endurance because of the disobedience, spiritual deviation and moral perversion of some of the people he or she leads. Nehemiah also had to go through a period of endurance because of the challenges some of the Israelites including Elashib, a priest had posed. Some of the people including the nobles of Judah had disobeyed the Sabbath laws but Nehemiah dealt with them according to Nehemiah 13: 15-21). He said, “Then I commanded the Levites to purify themselves and go and guard the gates in order to keep the Sabbath day holy. (Nehemiah 13:22). Again, to prove his ability to endure as a leader who was ready to do the will God and to see his nation prosper, he warned the people and dealt with issue of intermarriage and mix breeding with pagans thereby disobeying the law of God and defiling the themselves. Nehemiah said “Must we hear now that you too are doing all this terrible wickedness and are being unfaithful to our God by marrying foreign women?” ²⁸ One of the sons of Joiada son of Eliashib the high priest was son-in-law to Sanballat the Horonite. And I drove him away from me. ²⁹ Remember them, my God, because they defiled the priestly office and the covenant of the priesthood and of the Levites. ³⁰ So I purified the priests and the Levites of everything foreign, and assigned them duties, each to his own task.” (Nehemiah 13:27-30)

Dear friend in the Lord, to successfully go through a time of endurance as a leader and a believer, you must be spiritually and morally upright and resilient and be a person of integrity and faith. How does one become spiritually and morally upright before God through a life of integrity and faith? Dear friend in the Lord, studying the Word of God, obeying it and a consistent prayer life to demonstrate one’s absolute reliance on the guidance and sustenance of God is the only way to live a spiritually and morally upright life. Nehemiah understood the Law and obeyed it and this gave him the power and encouragement to boldly speak against the ills in His Judean society. For instance, he know the law on observing the Sabbath and intermarriage between Israelites and pagans, therefore, he enforced it as a leader and faithful believer. The Psalmist knew the importance of the Word of God in sustaining him therefore he said “Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path. ¹⁰⁶ I have taken an oath and confirmed it, that I will follow your righteous laws.” (Psalms 119:105-106) Beloved in the Lord, as Christian leader and a believer, how instructive and relevant is the Word of God in your life? Are your actions and decisions guided by Scripture and are you impacting lives based on your commitment and obedience to the Word of God? Our societies and Churches are dwindling spiritually and morally because some religious leaders and Christian political leaders have themselves compromise their stand on the teachings of the Bible. The Bible is fast losing its place in our lives as Christians hence the ascendency in moral decadence in our society and even among Christians. There so many fake men and women engaged in all manner of immoral and corrupt practices under the guise of Christianity. Most Christians of our time take delight in appearing in the chapel on Sundays to engage in an entertaining worship service rather that living a constant and holistic Biblically focused and prayer driven life which involves regular attendance to Bible Studies and prayer programmes organised by the Church.

Again, Nehemiah proved through the time of endurance that he was a man of prayer. After going through every phase of endurance as leader and a believer, he prayed and acknowledged God’s presence in his life. “Remember me for this also, my God, and show mercy to me according to your great love…Remember me with favor, my God. Nehemiah 13:22,31). Dear friend in Christ, how can you navigate through the herculean task of leadership and also as a believer in this perverse world without a consistent prayer life. Jesus understood the power of prayer as a leader, we are told in Mark 1:35 that “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.” Paul greatly encourages us to prayerful in times of endurance when he wrote “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7). Beloved in the Lord, how prayerful are you, especially in times of adversity or hardship? How often do you come to God in prayer as a Christian leader and believer? Is your prayer life like a person who only goes to the hospital when he or she is seriously ill? Many of us have turn God into an ambulance, we do not need Him until an emergency issue happens. Prayer is an important spiritual exercise hence Paul admonished us to “Rejoice always, ¹⁷ pray continually, ¹⁸ give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18). Nehemiah went through the time of endurance successfully because His prayer life as leader and believer was not negotiable or compromised.

In summary, we have reflected on the theme “The time for endurance” We have discovered that a time for endurance will surely come, therefore, all Christian leaders and all believers must be ready and resilient in our spiritually and morally corrupt and challenging world.

PRAYER

Holy Spirit, prepare and strengthen us through the knowledge of the Word and a life of prayer to completely rely on You when the time for endurance comes. Amen.