How is a disciple of Christ to maintain integrity while working under pressure? You may have been given a difficult task with an urgent deadline; your boss may be demanding and cruel; your co-workers may be unpleasant and unhelpful; or you may lack the tools, training, and experience to tackle the job at hand. Where do you turn?
Turn to the Lord, of course, and to His Word for guidance. In fact, Scripture unveils for us a behind-the-scenes tutorial from such an experience and a pattern for navigating hard situations of all kinds.
A young Hebrew exile named Nehemiah found himself in a very tight spot around 450 BC. Born into slavery in Babylon among the Jewish captives, Nehemiah flourished with God’s favor in the household of King Artaxerxes. With a winsome personality and a reputation for loyalty and trustworthiness, he rose to the position of personal cupbearer to the king.
Then, one day, a heavy burden was laid on his shoulders. The small remnant of Jews left in Jerusalem were in great trouble, the wall of the city of God was broken down, and its gates destroyed by fire. Would his master, the Persian king, send aid? What could Nehemiah do in such a time as this?
Nehemiah’s first response was a dedicated time of crying out to God in prayer: “As soon as I heard these words I sat down and wept and mourned for days, and I continued fasting and praying before the God of heaven” (Neh. 1:4). Confessing his and his peoples’ sins, searching the Scriptures, and pleading God’s covenant promises, Nehemiah laid out his plight before the Lord, asking for success in approaching the king. We, too, are invited to cast our anxious burdens on the Lord, knowing that He cares for us.
Confirmed in his calling, Nehemiah boldly but humbly approached the king with a plan: “Send me to Judah . . . that I may rebuild it” (Neh. 2:5). The king granted his request, by God’s grace, along with letters of passage to the kings of the regions he must pass through and a letter of credit for supplies from the keeper of the king’s forest.
Commit your work to the Lord,
and your plans will be established. (Prov. 16:3)
Ask big, seek boldly, knock in detail. God knows your needs, and He promises to supply them within His will.
Upon arrival in the desolate city, Nehemiah secretly surveyed the scene on horseback by night, carefully analyzing the scope of work. Confirmed in his plan, Nehemiah rallied partners among the priests, the officials, and the rest who were to do the work. Having devised a workable sequence of small steps to be accomplished, each household was commissioned to lay the beams, set the doors, and repair the bars of the gate nearest their own homes. Having a team of invested and like-minded brothers and sisters is vital to success. We are instructed,
Without counsel plans fail,
but with many advisors they succeed. (Prov. 15:22)
Don’t think you can do it alone.
As often happens, Nehemiah’s work progressed fairly smoothly until unexpected opposition arose from some powerful naysayers. Sanballat and Tobiah, two city officials, were very displeased that someone had come to restore the welfare of the people of Israel (Neh. 2:10). Sanballat in particular was greatly enraged, and he threatened the Jews (Neh. 4:1). Even worse, a Jewish brother, Shemaiah, accepted a bribe to betray Nehemiah with a deceptive lie. He told Nehemiah that their enemies were plotting to kill him and that he should flee from the city or go into hiding in the holy place within the temple. But Nehemiah persevered against such threats, trusting God’s protection for his life and heeding God’s word that no one but the high priest could enter the most holy place and live.
When tempted to quit or when deeply discouraged by opposition, draw near to the throne of grace to find help.
Another common setback, and more discouraging, is the behavior of the “godly” ones who behave in very ungodly ways. “There arose a great outcry of the people and of their wives against their Jewish brothers” because the workers were being financially abused by their own people (Neh. 5:1). Nehemiah spoke up to put away sin: “I was very angry when I heard their outcry . . . and I brought charges against the nobles and officials” for exacting interest on supply loans from their brothers (Neh. 5:6–7). Nehemiah’s righteous sense of justice was offended, so he spoke up, knowing that
Whoever closes his ear to the cry of the poor
will himself call out and not be answered. (Prov. 21:13)
After many setbacks and diversions, Nehemiah’s great task of restoring the defenses of the city was eventually completed. The wall had been built and the doors and gates hung, so Nehemiah could turn over Jerusalem to Hananiah, its governor, “for he was a . . . faithful and God-fearing man” (Neh. 7:1–2). How should he now mark the grand occasion? He determined to praise God publicly for carrying them faithfully to the end, summoning Israel to worship. “And all the people assembled as one man into the square before the Water Gate” to hear Ezra the priest read the Law of Moses, gratefully praising and blessing the Lord (Neh. 8:1–2, 5–6). Centuries later, the commentator Matthew Henry would note, “What we win with prayer, we must acknowledge with praise.”
Does the biblical record of Nehemiah’s faithfulness under pressure mean that our every challenge will be met with great success? Of course not. In God’s wise and mysterious providence, there is no guaranteed formula for overcoming all obstacles and securing desired victories. Only the Lord Jesus Christ perfectly completed the task set before Him. Instead, Christ teaches His followers that we must say, with the servant who did what he was commanded, “We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty” (Luke 17:10). Leave all the glory to God, and He will direct you in the day of trial.
Ligonier Ministries