Last week I expounded on what nation-building is in the context of the kingdom. If you missed out on that, do endeavour to read before forging ahead. So, today I want to go straight into how to have joy in such a seeming disappointing environment and situation.
The concept of nation-building is the foundation because whatever it is you are doing as a believer must be from the context of seeing Jesus glorified. The ideology of Jesus must not be kept out of business, politics, career, etc. If this (putting the person of Christ out) becomes the practice, we are far from being the sons He wants us to be.
It’s almost two weeks after the horrible event in Nigeria where peaceful protesters were attacked. The whole energy seems to have waned and the events have taken an unprecedented turn. Some chose to blame the whole mess on those who came out to protest seeking a change. Now, what is more, depressing is that it seems as if nothing would come out of the whole time, resources, energy, and even the blood of innocent lives lost. However, our joy and hope do not come from this world. Let’s get into it!
Nehemiah was in exile during the reign of King Artaxerxes of Persia. One of his fellow Jew arrived from Judah to give him the report of how things were back home. It was an uninteresting report. The wall of Jerusalem is torn down and the gates are burnt. This was a pain to the heart of Nehemiah. The wall of Jerusalem served as a monument of protection. It was a symbol of strength and cover from shame. Nehemiah knew this so he lost his joy having learned about the state of things back home. It is just as we would describe the Nigeria of today, being in a state of “anyhowness”.
The wall is a type of economic, spiritual, military, and technological power in today’s world. The wall was what made Jerusalem enviable. A nation without any of the wall erected in this current dispensation will not be counted amongst the developed nations of the world. Nehemiah cried to the Lord and he received favour before the king to go back home and erect the walls of Jerusalem.
Nehemiah was filled with joy having found favour before the king to go rebuild Jerusalem and he went all out for this. He brought the people together, encouraging them to stand up against the shame they found themselves. He shared the vision God had given him to rebuild the wall. As expected, those who have been beneficiaries of the ruin rose to stop the work. But all of their efforts were unsuccessful.
This is exactly where the secret of the work is; everyone began to build the wall in front of their territory. It wasn’t a thing one man could do or take glory for. It was a product of each person taking responsibility for where they have influence.
“Then Eliashib the High Priest and the other priests rebuilt the wall as far as the Tower of Hanannel; then they rebuilt the Sheep Gate, hung its doors, and dedicated it. Men from the city of Jericho worked next to them, and beyond them was the work crew led by Zaccur. The fish Gate was built by the sons of Hassenaah; they did the whole thing- cut the beams, hung the doors, and made the bolts and bars…” Neh 3v1-3
It went on and on till the entire wall was built. Even though they faced a major threat from Sanballat and Tobiah, everyone drew joy from building his own space and in the end, the entire wall was rising.
Let’s bring it home. Every one of us is responsible for the walls in our space and not the entire wall that needs to be erected in Nigeria. As I said, the wall is symbolic of all that a nation needs to stand tall amongst the comity of nations. To then stay joyful, you have to shift your focus from the entire wall to your sphere of influence. And one thing noteworthy was that they never neglected the place of prayers as they build which gave them victory over the adversaries.
When you face the wall within your sphere of influence, you will have joy and not be much disturbed by the discouragement from Sanballat and Tobiah. You will be so engrossed with making sure your portion of the wall is not a delay to seeing the entire wall up and standing.
It’s time to shift focus and ask yourself these questions: do I even know the wall I am supposed to build? Do I need to support another in building the wall? What wall have you been building so far?
You cannot be idle in this system, if you are not building; you are helping someone to build. Someone built the wall of gay and transgender practice and the same is amplified by some other people’s wall.
Your wall may be education, business, economy, entertainment, technology, etc. Leave the big picture you hope to see, concentrate on your sphere of influence; it’d supply joy. However, be sure you are building a wall coated with righteousness.
Be Innovated
Olufemi Ibitoye
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