THE RETURNED EXILES
Better Together
HAVE YOU NOTICED how slogans can draw people together for a cause? Nike gets people to “Just Do It.” The Marines are looking for “A Few Good Men.” Even the Musketeers are “All for One, One for All.” Although Nehemiah is the central figure in the book that bears his name, the task of rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem was not his alone. It would take the collective effort of all the returned exiles working together.
The restoration of broken lives, relationships, and dreams takes the people of God working as one
Restoring broken walls—clearing away rubble, realigning foundations, and bringing in new building materials—is never easy and cannot be done alone; it can only be done in community. Nehemiah 3 records the many groups of people who joined the work in Jerusalem. Each group contributed significantly to restoring sections of the wall. It required faith, a willingness and desire to overcome apathy and the status quo, and a firm conviction that the life of a city could rise out of the ashes of ruin. It also required a willingness to take a stand for righteousness in the face of opposition. When threatened by attack, the people chose to work side by side with tools in one hand and a weapon in the other (4:17).
Similarly, the restoration of broken lives, relationships, and dreams takes the body of Christ working as one. When people are devastated by suffering, disability, and disappointment, they need others who have faith and vision to come alongside them and help restore the “walls” of their lives. When faithful servants are overwhelmed by despair and hopelessness, they need a community that will hold them with one hand and fight in prayer for them with the other hand. They need people who know that we are better together.