All Alone? #3

In continuing with the message on being all alone with God and the benefits thereof I want to talk about Nehemiah: Nehemiah was in captivity and he heard that the wall of Jerusalem was broken down. He was very despondent. King Artaxerxes noticed how sad he was and decided to help finance the whole rebuilding of the wall (Neh. 2 v. 8). Nehemiah went to Jerusalem all by himself and kept his purpose hidden until he found some men that would help him. Nehemiah had such a hard undertaking. It was just him and God! As soon as he started the undertaking enemies who were against the work showed up, notably Sanballat and Tobiah (2 v. 10). They kept threatening them at every turn as they were building the wall. Nehemiah had to depend on God so much. Nehemiah had to organize the workers as a team, to work together, as a cohesive group. When the enemies were threatening to attack they had to have some build while the others watched their backs with weapons. This was such a big and dangerous work but God worked with Nehemiah, protected all of them and helped them finish the wall. In Chapter 6 after the wall was almost finished Sanballat and Tobiah came to Nehemiah and asked him to meet with them. Nehemiah knew that they meant harm and said that he was doing a great work and would not come down from the wall. They wanted to meet him in the temple where they would have killed him. Nehemiah wasn’t alone, God warned him of the plot. A prophetess called Noadiah and other prophets were also part of this scheme. When the enemies had tried their best to stop the rebuilding of the wall and their plans did not succeed, they saw that the work was of God (Neh. 6 v. 16). Without Nehemiah and his willingness to undertake this endeavor with just him and God, the wall would not have been built. Do you see what God can do with one person?

In 2 Chron. Chapter 20 there is a story about Jehoshaphat being surrounded with the enemy, badly outnumbered. He turned his eyes towards God and He answered that the battle wasn’t his, but God’s (v.15). When you are willing to go it alone with God He will always show up and show out for you. In v.

12, Jehoshaphat expressed the fact that he was helpless in the situation, without God’s help. This is why God may have you in a situation where it is just you and Him; to show you that He is all that you need. This will build up your faith in Him and you will have even more confidence in the next assignment. Jehoshaphat could have looked for help with some other neighboring cities, but He just believed that God was all that he needed. Jesus is all that you need today! Rejoice! All Jehoshaphat had to do was show up early in the morning the next day and send his praise singers out first, singing "praise the Lord, his mercy endures forever" (v. 16, 21). In v. 17, God was saying that all he needed was Him when He said that he would "see the salvation of the Lord." When they began to sing, the Lord set up an ambush against the enemy and they killed each other (v. 22, 23). It took Jehoshaphat three days to gather all the spoils (v.25) Do you see what God did for one person; defeated his biggest enemy and gave him their wealth. He could do the same for you today!

In 2 Kings Chapter 6, the word says that God was giving Elisha the secret enemy plans and the enemy was so angry that they surrounded Samaria wanting to kill Elisha. It was just God and Elisha. The servant of Elisha was really scared until Elisha asked God to open his eyes. God showed him that He had the enemy surrounded with His angels. Look at the protection that God gives to one person who would walk alone with God: your enemies think that they have you in a fix but God is the one that lured them into a trap! God blinded the enemy that came against Elisha and they were led into captivity. Elisha fed them and sent them back to their country. As a result, there was peace between them for a period of time. However, after a period of time the enemy came back again and surrounded Samaria. There was a famine in the city already and the siege made it worst. The enemy wouldn’t let anyone in or out. People were eating their own children The king of Samaria sent people to kill Elisha as he was the one who God used to call for a famine for three and half years. Anyone else would have felt all alone as he was the one who everybody was blaming for the famine. However, he wasn’t alone as God warned him about the plan to kill him and ended the famine the next day. God came through for him as he was willing to speak His word no matter what anybody thought. It is so important for all of us to remember that whatever task God calls us to we are never alone even though no body helps us. God will!

Just remember as I close how Jesus won the battle in the Garden of Gethsemane with only His Father to help Him. His apostles had slept right through the battle. Also, Jesus was crucified for us with only His Father strengthening Him.

Remember when God assigns a task to you and you feel all alone, your Father is always with you. He is trying to build up a relationship with you that will surpass any relationship on earth and will last throughout eternity! Praise Him forever!