We Are The People

Nehemiah 2:12-13 “12 Then I arose in the night, I and a few men with me; I told no one what my God had put in my heart to do at Jerusalem; nor was there any animal with me, except the one on which I rode. 13 And I went out by night through the Valley Gate to the Serpent Well and the Refuse Gate, and viewed the walls of Jerusalem which were broken down and its gates which were burned with fire.”

Valley Gate, Serpent Well and Refuse Gate – they all sound like a part of the devil’s work.  Despair, the tempters snares and the garbage dump is what Nehemiah saw as he surveyed the situation.  Like a wise doctor he begins by making a thorough diagnosis.

Many Christians live in a “fool’s paradise” because they refuse to believe things are as bad as they really are as in Israel of old.  Unbelieving spies bring back a half-hearted report and fail to confront the cultural norms that have replaced Biblical standards of living.  This has resulted in devastation in our cities and nation.  There must be those who survey the landscape as Joshua and Caleb who will say “we are well able to take the land.”

Pray that we who are watchmen will survey the land according to godly standards and allow the reality of the lack of righteousness to break our hearts and motivate us to move with godly fear to rebuild and restore.