“But now, O God, strengthen my hands.” Nehemiah 6:9b
Pivot. To shift weight, shift direction, or rotate in a new direction, all simply on the balls of the feet. It is a quick, slight, almost imperceptible movement. When Margie and I were taking ballroom dance lessons I learned of the pivot very well. As I would watch the instructor’s upper body, it looked like nothing was happening. But as I would look down to examine her feet, I could see them ever so slightly pivoting in the directions the dance and the music called for. A subtle redirection that was almost unnoticeable…but it was still a change in direction. Today in Nehemiah chapter 6 we see satan at his craftiest. Nehemiah is only a few gates away from completing the walls of Jerusalem. And folks, seeing God’s work nearing completion makes the evil one very nervous. And so, satan pulls out his big guns. Satan rallies three rascals against Nehemiah to do their best to pull him away from his work finishing God’s wall. They send him not just one but four different telegrams, persistent in their message, let’s meet…let’s just sit and talk a while Nehemiah. And they even recommend a beautiful place in which to meet, it would almost be like a paid beach vacation for Nehemiah. Oh, the sweet nectar of evil whispers. Whispers calling us to pivot ever so slightly from the work of God. Clever tactics to get Nehemiah to lose sight, lose focus, to pivot from God’s plan. Nehemiah stands fast but the attacks keep coming. Slander, threats, and even outright betrayal from within, from a man that was falsely parading as a prophet of God. Again, all attempts to distract Nehemiah from God’s Work for just for a bit, to get him to pivot and imperceptibly change direction in the slightest. Remember that satan’s goal is to either delay or halt the work of God. If he can’t halt it completely, he’ll be satisfied with just slowing it down for a while. And it is in this moment of once again refusing to pivot that we get powerful words of prayer from Nehemiah. Amidst the constant attacks and distractions from various evil-intending rivals, Nehemiah does what he does best, he prays in the moment to Almighty God. And his prayer is simple, strong, and summed up in only 7 words. “But now, O God, strengthen my hands.” Friends, the closer you get to the work of God the closer you will get to the opposition of it. People that you think you can trust will attempt to get you to pivot. To delay, to take a break, to slightly change your direction. The attacks may even escalate into slander and lies, a sign of the evil one ramping up the heat of his fire under you. But don’t pivot…don’t turn even one degree. Stay the path, stay the course, and pray to God to strengthen your hands. Pray to God to keep you on the exact path He has for you. Pray to God for discernment in seeing the true motives behind the people in your path. Dear Lord, strengthen the hands of all those around this world today that are doing your work. Allow them to be wise as serpents but innocent as doves as they refuse to pivot when tempted to slow, stop, or alter your Holy work, Amen.
“I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.” Matthew 10:16
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