Have you ever felt like you were never going to finish a task? This week in Children at IBC, we discussed the first part of the Book of Nehemiah, about a Jewish man named Nehemiah (knee-uh-my-uh), who worked for King Cyrus of Persia. (Remember from last week that many of the Jews remained in Persia). Nehemiah heard word from Jerusalem (Remember that a lot of the Jews had returned to Judah) that while the Temple had finally been rebuilt, the city walls were still in shambles. The king sent Nehemiah to get things done, and that he did. The Jews in Jerusalem had grown tired and discouraged of rebuilding the city, and just because Nehemiah came with fervor, everything did not happen easily. He gathered people to help build, and enemies threatened. The threats were even with physical violence, so the Jews grabbed their swords and built while armed, ready to fight and protecting one another. And in 52 days, the city walls and the gates were rebuilt by men, who at the end of chapter 6 gave all the credit to God. Nehemiah 6:15-16 says, "The wall was completed in fifty-two days... When all our enemies heard this, all the surrounding nations were intimidated and lost their confidence, for they realized that this task had been accomplished by our God." What a great story of people devoted to God and able to accomplish far more than they ever thought possible in such a short time.
Elementary
- Why do you think the Jews stopped working to build? What kind of effort and persistence does it take to continue a task when the world is against you?
- How can you find God's power to continue striving? How do you encourage others to do the same?
- Would you have continued building the wall if your safety was at such risk? Why or why not?
Preschool
- Nehemiah encouraged the people to build a wall to protect them. Where did his courage and strength to lead come from?
- When it gets hard to keep moving forward, who helps you walk? Is it the same thing that helped Nehemiah?
Finally, as we continue to move into our Vision for IBC - a multiethnic movement of missionary disciples formed in the way of Jesus for the sake of the world - remember that everyone, who calls IBC, is called to connect in serving the body of believers and those in our neighborhoods. Click on the link to get plugged in.