Perseverance

Nehemiah finds himself in a familiar place: surrounded by the enemy.  The wall is basically completed. All that is needed are a few finsishing touches.  When Nehemiah's enemies hear about this, they organize a series of desperate last attempts to destroy his work.  They come at him with everything they have.  They use every weapon in their arsenal.  They attack him verbally, physically, and psychologically.  Nehemiah has every reason to fight back.  But he doesn't.

I think that the secret to perseverance in the midst of trials is something as simple as how you respond to the trials.  Attitude makes all the difference.  Small companies outsell giant companies.  Smaller armies outfight larger armies.  Weaker teams outscore stronger teams.  I could give you case study after case study where the one who shouldn't win, wins.  The one picked to lose, triumphs.  The underdog pulls off the miracle.

Alexander the Great, vastly outnumbered, defeats Darius I. The Parthians, outnumbered 4 to 1, defeat the Romans. Robert the Bruce defeats Edward II, The Knights Hospitaller triumph over the Ottoman forces, and Ghengis Khan beats ... well ... everybody --  All of them outnumbered.

James J. Braddock (Cinderalla Man) defeats Max Baer; Joe Namath and the New York Jets win Super Bowl III; the '69 miracle Mets beat the Orioles; the 1980 U.S. Hockey team wins gold over the vastly superior Russian team -- Underdogs, all of them.

What makes the difference.  Attitude. How you respond to the challenges you face, no matter how large and seemingly invincible.  Do you hide?  Do you fight back?  Do you run away?  The answer is: it depends.  Nehemiah actually does all three, at one time or another.  But even when he is hiding or running or fighting back he is always advancing towards the goal; he is always wiggling his way toward victory.  You just have to know how to respond. As Kenny Rogers would say, "You got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em, know when to walk away, and know when to run ..."

Sometimes you fight and sometimes you walk away from the fight.  Sometimes you defend and sometimes you stall.  Sometimes you charge and sometimes you wait.  Sometimes God wants to fight the battle for you.  Nehemiah's genius was knowing when to do what.  That takes three things: Prayer, Patience, and Practice.

David puts it this way:  I love you, O LORD, my strength. The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I call to the LORD, who is worthy of praise, and I am saved from my enemies. The cords of death entangled me; the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me. The cords of the grave coiled around me; the snares of death confronted me. In my distress I called to the LORD; I cried to my God for help. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came before him, into his ears. The earth trembled and quaked, and the foundations of the mountains shook; they trembled because he was angry. Smoke rose from his nostrils; consuming fire came from his mouth, burning coals blazed out of it (Psalm 18:1-8).

Enough said.
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