Walls of Protection

All of us at some time or other has built walls of protection around our heart so that it would not have to be hurt or to suffer pain.

The building of walls is not limited to being a carpenter. It is a very common practice for people to build walls.      One of my favorite writers in the Old Testament is Nehemiah. He was a real wall builder. Nehemiah was just a young person when he was captured by the enemy. He was one of the Jews of dispersion. As a young person he was appointed to the important office of royal cupbearer to King Artaxerxes Longimanus of Persia. He had the duty of making sure that no one poisoned the king.      

Nehemiah was informed through a relative that the walls of Jerusalem, the Holy City, were destroyed. The gate of the city was burned with fire. This so saddened Nehemiah that he began a four month, day and night, vigil of prayer. He asked God to rebuild the walls and the gate and to restore Jerusalem.

Nehemiah was waiting upon the king one day with a sad countenance which caused the king to question Nehemiah about his sadness. Nehemiah was very fearful at first to confide his concern about Jerusalem to King Artaxerxes. Nehemiah then took courage and told the king his concern for the Holy City. The four months of prayer paid great dividends because the king allowed Nehemiah to go back home to build the walls and the gate. He also allowed him to stay 13 years and govern the city. The king provided all of the lumber and items needed for the project.

God touched a king’s heart because of the prayer of one man. God restored a city because Nehemiah had a vision and prayed to a God that could make it happen. Nehemiah faced much opposition in the building of the wall. Enemies of Jerusalem rose up and fought Nehemiah in every way that they could. It took Nehemiah the record time of 6 months to build the wall. He surveyed the city, mapped out a master plan, and guarded the workers from attack.

Nehemiah was mocked, laughed to scorn, despised, falsely accused, was conspired against, and hindered, but he built anyway. A false prophet was even hired to prophecy a lie to Nehemiah to make him stop the work but Nehemiah built the wall against all odds.

He set the families working together with a weapon in one hand and a tool in the other. Nehemiah set a trumpeter ready to sound the warning to the people in case of an attack. The Bible informs us that the people had a ‘mind to work’. Nehemiah encouraged the people and reminded them of God’s power and deliverance.

In the end Nehemiah’s foes were ‘much cast down when they perceived that this work was wrought of the Jew’s God.’

The building of walls is something that one can still practice today. How can one build a protective wall around one? The wall of protection is built by prayer. Building walls around one’s heart is not the answer. Prayer is a wall that will keep the enemy of one’s life from walking in and taking over. Prayer is too powerful to be neglected. We serve a God that can do anything and He is just waiting for one to ask for His powerful assistance. It is time to get a heart like Nehemiah.

Walls of protection are waiting to be built. Become a wall builder today and experience the wall of victory and protection like Nehemiah.