The Boomerang Effect
'Nehemiah prayed, “Oh listen to us, dear God. We’re so despised:
Boomerang their ridicule on their heads; have their enemies cart them
off as war trophies to a land of no return; don’t forgive their
iniquity, don’t wipe away their sin—they’ve insulted the
builders!”Nehemiah 4:4-5 (MSG)
You may have heard the quote 'Hard work goes unnoticed'. Indeed, but many a good work does not go unnoticed. When you set out to do a thing, even if it is a good thing, the scoffers will come to ridicule the thing and to regard it as worthless. It is wise to be prepared for this and to be prayed up against it
Nehemiah was the right person for the job. We read that he was a man of prayer and that he was even called to do it by God. The entire book in the Old Testament is a testimony to good leadership. Nehemiah had patience. He prayed and waited for months before He ever approached his boss about the plan to repair the wall. He walked around his mission field and prayed for days while inspecting the damage to the city and to the wall before he ever let his plans be known to the builders. And he prayed and listened even before the first brick was laid. God was in it from the original idea, to the design and clear through to the end. Success!
Then we see this prayer or maybe it was a prophetic word really. This prayer comes to us from this Old Testament teacher before Christians are taught, even by the Lord Himself, that we are to love our enemies. One thing is for certain about a history lesson, it teaches us perhaps how history will repeat itself. That's reality. The hard lessons in life come to us to prepare us about the work that our God has called us to and how the workers will most certainly have to tolerate the contemptible reactions to such work all the time. They were and we are so despised and looked down upon often by many who are the proud and haughty scorners, we are mocked even, and yet we are advised to continue on with it even in spite of it all. Why all the opposition?
Why indeed? I realize that some of us hate change so much that we will resist it. I see that in us all. Change is not easy, especially when the very ones that resist it are perhaps the ones that helped to take the wall down in the first place. They were many and they were united in their evil thoughts and deeds. There is it. The truth always comes out in the end. They were a party to their evil deeds of persecution. They are the cold ones and their hearts are hardened to the things and the glorious works of God. The building must continue. Thus we pray.
We pray desperate prayers for the work to go on even in the face of those that threaten us. Our very lives at times seem to be in danger to these bullies. What else is there left to do than to pray like Nehemiah prayed. A prayer for deliverance and strength. He did not waste his time on these fools but looked up to God in prayer. He prayed for an intervention from God. For God to hear his prayers and to send comfort. For God to show up and reverse the enemy's words and their deeds. For the very things that they wanted to happen to him to fall on them instead. Boomerang justice. Now that is 'vengeance is mine, sayeth the Lord'. Amen!
You may have heard the quote 'Hard work goes unnoticed'. Indeed, but many a good work does not go unnoticed. When you set out to do a thing, even if it is a good thing, the scoffers will come to ridicule the thing and to regard it as worthless. It is wise to be prepared for this and to be prayed up against it
Nehemiah was the right person for the job. We read that he was a man of prayer and that he was even called to do it by God. The entire book in the Old Testament is a testimony to good leadership. Nehemiah had patience. He prayed and waited for months before He ever approached his boss about the plan to repair the wall. He walked around his mission field and prayed for days while inspecting the damage to the city and to the wall before he ever let his plans be known to the builders. And he prayed and listened even before the first brick was laid. God was in it from the original idea, to the design and clear through to the end. Success!
Then we see this prayer or maybe it was a prophetic word really. This prayer comes to us from this Old Testament teacher before Christians are taught, even by the Lord Himself, that we are to love our enemies. One thing is for certain about a history lesson, it teaches us perhaps how history will repeat itself. That's reality. The hard lessons in life come to us to prepare us about the work that our God has called us to and how the workers will most certainly have to tolerate the contemptible reactions to such work all the time. They were and we are so despised and looked down upon often by many who are the proud and haughty scorners, we are mocked even, and yet we are advised to continue on with it even in spite of it all. Why all the opposition?
Why indeed? I realize that some of us hate change so much that we will resist it. I see that in us all. Change is not easy, especially when the very ones that resist it are perhaps the ones that helped to take the wall down in the first place. They were many and they were united in their evil thoughts and deeds. There is it. The truth always comes out in the end. They were a party to their evil deeds of persecution. They are the cold ones and their hearts are hardened to the things and the glorious works of God. The building must continue. Thus we pray.
We pray desperate prayers for the work to go on even in the face of those that threaten us. Our very lives at times seem to be in danger to these bullies. What else is there left to do than to pray like Nehemiah prayed. A prayer for deliverance and strength. He did not waste his time on these fools but looked up to God in prayer. He prayed for an intervention from God. For God to hear his prayers and to send comfort. For God to show up and reverse the enemy's words and their deeds. For the very things that they wanted to happen to him to fall on them instead. Boomerang justice. Now that is 'vengeance is mine, sayeth the Lord'. Amen!
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