Build Walls?!

When I was a teenager we lived in Europe. We took a trip to the Berlin Wall and visited the famous "Checkpoint Charley" (boy, I am really dating myself now). It made quite an impression on me. I couldn't understand why people had built a wall to keep people in. I remember standing at "Checkpoint Charley" and noticing the people riding on the bus as they went by on the communist side of the wall. They looked like they were void of emotion...their faces were expressionless. I remember it like it was yesterday (but believe me it wasn't!).

My parents do alot of counseling. I grew up hearing phrases like, "boy, have they really built up a wall!" Or when we were, all five of us kids teenagers, I can remember my parents saying, "It's like we are hitting our heads against a brick wall!"

Walls...for me it doesn't conjure up a pretty picture. Actually, the definition is not a negative one. A wall is an upright structure to enclose an area for safety or protection. I like the enclosed for safety or protection part. Usually, I think of a walls as intimidating, looming, forceful. Something that separates but in a bad way. And then I was reading in the book of Nehemiah.

Nehemiah ws the cupbearer to King Artaxerxes. Nehemiah was greatly distressed because the walls of Jerusalem were broken down. That left the city of his people, Jerusalem, defenseless. He was so grieved over this that he fasted and prayed and went to the king to ask permission to go and repair the wall ...You see Nehemiah was willing to risk anything for the people of God, for his people, and the city he loved so much and the Jews needed a wall to surround them to protect them. With no real fortifications they had been easy prey for their enemies. Go ahead and read Nehemiah. God did answer Nehemiah's prayer and the king gave him permission to go and rebuild.

But that got me to thinking. We build walls around us. We build walls to keep people out of our hearts and emotions. We build walls around us because we are insecure and afraid of rejection. We build walls around ourselves to hide secrets and guilt that we are carrying. This walls hold in the very things that need to be illuminate, worked on, brought out into the open so in cases like these walls are not a good thing.

Let's go back to the definition of wall...a structure to enclose an area for safety and protection. Think of our bodies and minds as walls to protect our souls and hearts from evil. What if we though of our bodies and minds as the upright structure...strong, fortified, secured. Strong in our beliefs, fortified with our faith, and secured in the word. In other words if we built our bodies and minds up strong in faith and lived what we believe and know the word of God that would be a wall that would protect our hearts and souls from Satan and his works. Our bodies and minds would be like the wall that protected Jerusalem and with this wall we would be better protected from our enemies...

Just as the wall around Jerusalem would need attention to keep it strong so our bodies and minds need constant work. Reading our bibles, praying, worshipping, fellowship with other believers. But then within those walls we have a a little more fruit, a little more peace because we have protected ourselves from being totally venerable.

Of course, in all this I am talking about a spiritual wall with spiritual and moral protection. Another thing that was so neat when I read this was how God's hand was completely on Nehemiah for God's purposes and he recognized that. Look at yourself....is God calling you to rebuild your spiritual wall? Do you need to rebuild or just patch and refortify? Accept the task of rebuilding your spiritual and moral walls and God will provide the power and the provision. Begin the good work and see the gracious hand of God upon you!

Then I said to them, "You see the trouble we are in: Jesusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have beeen burned with fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and we will no longer be in disgrace." I also told them about the gracious hand of my God upon me and what the King had said to me. They replied, "Let us start rebuilding." So they began this good work.
Nehemiah 2: 17-18