The Plot to Put an End to the Work
Also our enemies said, “Before they know it or see us, we will be right there among them and will kill them and put an end to the work.”
-Nehemiah 4:11
They had come in through an unseen crack in the foundation. Silently, under the cover of darkness, they multiplied. In the hidden places, they carried out their dirty work, while life went on outside as usual, unaware.
One night I tiptoed through the inky blackness of the courtyard to get a drink of water from the kitchen. As I flipped on the light I screamed in terror. Covering the floor like a horrifying, pulsing carpet was an army of cockroaches. They frantically retreated to their dark places, frightened of the light. They had been exposed.
Life in Africa was full of opportunities to scream and jump. The cockroaches fled to safety, and so did I, my thirst forgotten.
Christians must be vigilant, always watchful. God’s enemy excels at stealth and will enter through the unseen cracks in our lives, the unguarded places, while we are unaware.
Before we know it or see him, he will be right here among us, destroying our joy, our relationships, our lives.
The goal of the enemy is to put an end to the work, the work God has given each of us to do. He wants us to forget the thirst for God that drives us to do great things.
We do not have to be unaware. Daily we must take measure of our work, our homes, our lives, walking the length and breadth of the land God has given us, inspecting the conditions of our souls.
We do this by abiding in him daily, setting aside protected, prioritized time to read the Bible and listen to the Spirit’s instruction. He speaks through his word, and he has instruction for us every day.
God will reveal the exposed places, the weakened places, and give us wisdom to repair and guard them. He will destroy the enemy’s plot to end the work he has given us to do.
Our God is great and awesome, and he fights for us. My son saw the picture I created for this post and said, “Mom, shouldn’t that say that God protects our unguarded places? That’s more encouraging.”
Indeed, it would be. But the very nature of an unguarded place is that it is neglected, unnoticed, unexamined.
God has not been allowed inspection of some places in our hearts. On the contrary, if you are like me, there are cracks in my life where I have sent God away, prohibiting him from letting truth fill the gap and make me whole, guarded, protected. Shame has built a screen between me and the piercing gaze of the Holy Spirit and I hide, avoiding the examination that I know would bring freedom.
Over time, we grow blind to our cracks. They become as familiar and unnoticed as the crack in my driveway left there by a winter ice storm.
Have you inspected your life lately? Get alone with God and His Word, and ask Him to show you the unseen. He has given you important work to do, and His enemy would like to bring it to an end. Don’t allow it.
When our enemies heard that we were aware of their plot and that God had frustrated it, we all returned to the wall, each to his own work. -Nehemiah 4:15
Part of our work, Christian, is to inspect the walls and make ourselves aware of the weak places in our families, our homes, our hearts. Be alert. Set a guard at the exposed places.
When we carefully examine our lives, God will frustrate the plots of the enemy and we will return to the work with new zeal and joy, glorifying God as we build.
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