The Goal Was Never the Wall

When most people think about Nehemiah, they think about the wall.

They think about the rebuilding project.

They think about the opposition, the construction, and the remarkable accomplishment of restoring Jerusalem’s defenses.

And while the wall was certainly important, the longer I study Nehemiah, the more convinced I become that the wall was never the ultimate goal.

The wall was simply the assignment.

The relationship it restored was the purpose.

When Nehemiah first looked at Jerusalem, others saw broken walls.

They saw ruins.

They saw years of neglect.

They saw evidence of failure.

Nehemiah saw something different.

He saw restoration.

But even Nehemiah understood that rebuilding the wall was about more than stones and gates.

The wall itself could not restore the people.

The wall could not renew worship.

The wall could not bring repentance.

The wall could not heal their relationship with God.

Yet through the rebuilding process, something deeper began to happen.

The people returned.

The people worked together.

The people remembered who they were.

The people gathered to hear God’s Word.

The people renewed their covenant with Him.

The wall became the vehicle through which God restored identity, worship, and relationship.

The goal was never the wall.

The goal was always the people.

I believe the same principle is true in many areas of our lives.

We often become focused on the assignment God has placed before us.

We focus on the ministry.

The business.

The book.

The opportunity.

The project.

The dream.

We spend so much time looking at the thing God has asked us to build that we sometimes forget to ask what He is building within us while we are building it.

The assignment may be visible.

The deeper work is often hidden.

As we obey, God develops patience.

He develops trust.

He develops humility.

He develops perseverance.

He develops dependence upon Him.

Many times the greatest miracle is not what gets accomplished.

The greatest miracle is who we become in the process.

A book may eventually be finished.

A ministry may eventually be established.

A business may eventually grow.

A dream may eventually come to life.

But long after those things are completed, the character God formed within us remains.

The assignment was never the destination.

It was the pathway.

God often uses visible projects to accomplish invisible transformation.

That is exactly what happened in Nehemiah’s day.

The wall was rebuilt.

But more importantly, hearts were restored.

Identity was restored.

Worship was restored.

Relationship was restored.

Perhaps today you are focused on something God has asked you to build.

Maybe you are praying for the finished result.

Maybe you are waiting for the breakthrough.

Maybe you are measuring success by what has or has not been accomplished.

Take a moment and consider a different question.

What is God building within you while you build what He has placed before you?

Because the assignment itself may not be the greatest thing He is creating.

The greatest thing He may be building is the person you are becoming through your obedience.

The goal was never the wall.

The goal was always the relationship.

Much Love

~Gayla~