THE REVEAL

I love it when I finish a project! Whether I am renovating, writing, or just cleaning up, it is a relief when I see the finished project. In 2006, Jim and I had a home built, and it was exciting to see ground cleared, foundations poured and progress made. We would proudly announce joyfully, “We got walls, or we got windows!”. It took the builders almost 6 months from start to finish, and I thought that was amazing. When we moved in, that process wasn’t nearly as impressive. We lived out of boxes and spent a lot of time looking for things and deciding where we would keep them when we found them. It took a while for what HGTV would call “The Big Reveal!” to manifest. I let the settling-in, moving-in work almost rob me of the joy of a newly completed home. 

At times all I could remember was working at my job by day, fighting traffic, only to come home and unpack a few more boxes and struggle to throw together a meal before falling into bed and doing a ditto day at sunrise. When our home was completed, we had a dedication service. We invited our pastor and a few close friends to join us as we knew and wanted to testify of God’s goodness and provision. Living out the fruits of so many who labored in daily life is a blessing. On the dedication day, the work and aching muscles were a blur compared to the joy of the completed project! I wonder if Nehemiah felt this way when he reached the end of reconstruction on Reveal day!

Although this experience is my reference point, I cannot imagine that a volunteer group of exiles and folks who had experienced a long run of struggle completed the reconstruction of the Jerusalem wall in 52 days! 52 DAYS! Let’s review the statistics. The wall was 2.5 miles long, over 39 feet high, and over 8 feet thick. Far more than a privacy fence or landscaping. It was a fortress. It was a miracle! Let’s look at what Nehemiah had to say about the completion:

“So, on October 2nd, the wall was finished-just 52 days after we had begun. When our enemies and the surrounding nations heard about it… they were frightened and humiliated! They realized the work had been done with the help of our God.” 

Nehemiah 6: 15-16 (NLT)

What had been a tragedy that broke the heart of Nehemiah and birthed a dream and desire in his heart had become a reality with God. God was with Nehemiah when he shed the tears in the king’s court and was still with him when the last gate was hung. Not to mention all the time in between facing opposition and obstacles, one after the other. Though the workers at times became fatigued, I cannot help but think of scriptures that promise us the strength of the Lord that enables us to carry on and carry through. I have looked back many times in many seasons and know it was God’s strength in these weak human bones and muscles that kept me going. Ask a mother of a newborn or some soul who is a caregiver. Ask doctors who stay on their feet for hours in the O.R doing delicate surgeries. How about Firefighters in the forest? These are not a coincidence or even examples of super athletes.

While being fit is good stewardship, some tasks have the hallmark of God revealing His strength through those who depend on Him to accomplish the supernatural in the natural. We often mistake praising man while we starve our Creator of the applause and Praise He so richly deserves. It is good to affirm mankind, but I like to think of their availability while I credit my great God with the ability to accomplish any work. Acts17:28 says, “It is in Him we live and move and have our being…”

I think of all the unspoken praise for finished projects in my life. Everything from my vocation, education, and successes in ministry and relationships. Every time I finish something, I realize it is my chance to do a “Reveal.” I can reveal God’s goodness and His power to do the impossible in me and through me to those around me. The scripture says, “With God, all things are possible.”(Matt 19:26 NIV)

No builder or contractor would have given Nehemiah and his work team a completion date of 52 days. And, I love that all the nations got it! They saw that God worked in and through the people to complete the wall. They witnessed God as a promise-keeping, strength-providing, powerful protector and supplier. I have the opportunity to do the same in my life. Yes, God has given me talents and abilities, but the power of the Holy Spirit orchestrating those natural God-given abilities enables me to accomplish anything. 

Listen, in these discouraging days and times, those of us who still believe that God is who He says He is and that Christ did what He said he would do, need to be like the workers on the wall. Though we may be tired, we may face fatigue. Though our reputations may be undermined and our beliefs mocked, we need to stay at the work of encouraging others because God does and can come through with what we need. Nehemiah’s desire and dream to return to his home country mattered to God. Our life and dreams matter to God. If we would just trust that He will come through with the wisdom and strength to make it a reality. In my senior years, I am still under reconstruction. Healing from old and new wounds, applying hard-learned truth to new challenges, taking on new tasks that require courage like aging, staying fit, and being purposeful in retirement. But God loves reconstruction. He is a promise-keeping, strength-providing, ever-present help, and He is in the full-time business of revealing Himself. 

God, thank you for every milestone I have met, from writing my own name to raising a family and staying married all these years. Thank you for every project you have led me to. That Without you would remain unfinished or, at best, reveal shoddy work. You are the author of every good thing. Thank you for those “reveals” that have passed through my hands from yours, God. I still am amazed at the reconstruction of the wall by Nehemiah and his workers. Help me not to get casual or callus about miracles. Let others see the work of you in me.

Next time, join the 5 o’clock worker where we finish up with Nehemiah in “Under Reconstruction” in “Now What?”