It’s a time of turmoil. 

Every segment of our society has been and is being affected by the pandemic. At the same time, we are seeing division and widespread unrest across the nation. 

And what of the Church of America? Where is our place in all of this? 

In the Old Testament, the book of Nehemiah records the story of a young Jewish man who was heartbroken over the devastation of his home city, Jerusalem. Israel had been overcome, and its young men had been carried off to serve the new empire. The walls of Jerusalem had been severely damaged and the city lay in ruins, the people left largely unprotected. 

Nehemiah was placed in the service of King Artaxerxes, where he served faithfully for a number of years. But he was downtrodden because of reports of the ruins of his home city and the vulnerability of its citizens. As he prayed to God about it, one day the king asked him why he was so sad. Nehemiah told the king of the plight of Jerusalem and, summoning his courage, asked to be able to return to repair the broken walls of the city. 

Because of his faithfulness, the king agreed and Nehemiah was allowed to return home to rebuild Jerusalem. Nehemiah was even given a military escort and allowed to purchase materials from the king’s forest. 

Upon his return, people stood on both sides of the issue. Some came from neighboring districts to help with repairs. Others scoffed and tried to intimidate the workers. Some even tried to take advantage of the situation to war against Jerusalem. Half the men stood guard while the other half worked with their tools in one hand and a weapon in the other. 

But when the work was completed, their enemies were frightened and humiliated because they realized the work had been completed with the help of God. The people repented of their sins and asked God’s forgiveness, then celebrated what the Lord had done and dedicated themselves to him.

The book of Nehemiah is a picture of what the church of America needs to be in this hour. Now, we must stand together to repair the broken wall of our society. There will be scoffers. There will be those who try to stop us. But we must be courageous. 

We must be watchmen on the wall. We must have workers who stand with the tools of our work in one hand and the sword of His truth in the other. We cannot afford to simply be spectators. We must be vigilant. We must consecrate ourselves daily to our God. It is not easy work. It won’t happen overnight. But it can happen. Then, and only then, will we return to our roots as a nation under God.