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“The enemies of Judah and Benjamin heard that the exiles were rebuilding a Temple to the Lord, the God of Israel…Then the local residents tried to discourage and frighten the people of Judah to keep them from their work.”  Ezra 4:1,4 (NLT)

Has your world been struck by an unnatural disaster?

A betrayal, a trauma, a divorce, a loss, something that you did not expect or could not have prepared for. The massive storm hit  your world, and you are just beginning to assess the damage and look toward recovery.

As any good disaster team will tell you, we have to begin by examining the damage. We have to honestly assess the damage. Where has this hurt us, how has it changed our world, the way we see others, our relationship with God?

Next we have to pray. This may not seem like an active part of rebuilding, but prayer is the key to the next steps we will take. There is no formula or right way that this may look like in your life. We may talk to God, crying as we question our loss, yelling as we pour our emotions on Him, begging Him for relief from the pain, and bowing our heads in defeat that He is God and we are not. Prayer is personal and sustains our relationship with God.

As we move through our grief, we are asking Him to show us the next steps and give us strength for the days to come.

This is the foundation. If God is not the foundation, our rebuilding has nothing firmly to stand on. We have to take the time needed here- it is worth it.

As Robert Frost so eloquently wrote, “…I took the one (road) less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.”   God is the difference. His strength, His love, His direction, His protection, and His wisdom is THE difference. We want to do it our own way, and we want to be angry and disappointed and prideful. At the end of the day, however,  it is the bowing of our knees to the King of Kings that makes the difference whether our new foundation will stand firm or crumble in the days to come.

Rebuilding is not for the faint of heart, and it is not easy. God reminds us to “Give our burdens to Him, and He will take care of us.” (Psalm 55:22 NLT)

After Ezra and Nehemiah came back to Jerusalem to rebuild, they had to face these exact choices.

Nehemiah assessed, grieved, and confessed. He didn’t just walk back into the city and rebuild. He took time and then, at the right time, began to make a plan.

We will continue next week, but one last thought for today. When it was time to rebuild, Nehemiah rode into the city at night, by himself to assess the damage. He had sought wise counsel, heard the thoughts and concerns of others, but at the end of the day, it was he and God who honestly assessed the situation and began the plan of rebuilding.

At some point, it has to be each of us and God alone.

“Father, help my sweet sisters to know Your arm is strong enough and long enough to reach us wherever we are, and You love us enough that You won’t leave us in the dirt.”

For His Glory

Terrie Tollerson   (www.TerrieTollerson.com)
TRBC Women’s Life