Fight for what’s left!
After a big disaster there will be ruins. In spite of you moving forward in life you need to deal with those ruins as a first step to recovery.
Nehemiah and his people set a great example on how to deal with the disasters of life. They set to rebuild the broken walls of Jerusalem after it was destroyed by its enemies. But it was not without opposition.
Scripture says that “When Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, he became angry and was greatly incensed. He ridiculed the Jews, and in the presence of his associates and the army of Samaria, he said, ‘What are those feeble Jews doing? Will they restore their wall? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they finish in a day? Can they bring the stones back to life from those heaps of rubble—burned as they are?’”2 That was the challenge the enemy gave to Nehemiah and his people. “Can they bring the burnt stones back to life?” There was so much rubble that the builders got discouraged. There was utter ruin everywhere as Verse 10 says “Meanwhile, the people in Judah said, ‘The strength of the labourers is giving out, and there is so much rubble that we cannot rebuild the wall.’”3
In other words they were in a disaster zone.
How would a disaster zone look like? Certainly not pleasing to the eyes. Burnt stones, smell of smoke, destroyed showcase items, destroyed gifts, ashes everywhere, everything dark and nothing enjoyable or entertaining…all bleak and sober.
Sometimes life can be like that, a disaster zone. All bleak and sober and everywhere you turn, you see only burnt stones which once stood in glory. You smell the smoke of your burnt dreams. It’s a season of disaster. We all go through a season of disaster in life!
One bad decision in life can bring everything down. It won’t take long to take that bad decision if you are not in tune with God. But talk about a life without God. It means a life full of bad decisions. In the end you look back and realise that your life is a disaster.
Bronnie Ware is an Australian nurse who spent several years working in palliative care, caring for patients in the last 12 weeks of their lives. She recorded their dying epiphanies in a blog called Inspiration and Chai, which gathered so much attention that she put her observations into a book called The Top Five Regrets of the Dying.
Below are the top five regrets of the dying:
5. I wish that I had let myself be happier.
4. I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends.
3. I wish I had the courage to express my feelings.
2. I wish I hadn’t worked so hard.
1. I wish I had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.
This was the most common regret of all. When people realise that their life is almost over and look back clearly on it, it is easy to see how many dreams have gone unfulfilled. Most people had not honoured even a half of their dreams and had to die knowing that it was due to choices they had made, or not made.
Jesus talked about a young man whom we call the prodigal son who took a bad decision in life. The scripture says that “He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything. When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death!’”
In other words he simply said “my life is a disaster”.
In fact the bible is full of people whose life was a disaster. Jesus met a woman near the well. He had a casual chat with her. He asked her to bring her husband. She tried to hide her pain by simply saying “I have no husband.” But Jesus said to her “You are right. You have had five husbands and the man you are living with is not your husband.”
In other words Jesus said, “You have made bad choice after bad choice. Your life is a disaster. It’s high time you need me!!”
God is saying your life might be in ruins but it’s not over. He is God of what’s left. You see ruins everywhere and there might be very little left. But God sees them as Glorious ruins. Because, what lies as ruins was actually built for God’s glory. God will not let it to be destroyed completely.
GOD WANTS YOU TO FIGHT FOR WHAT’S LEFT. Our God specialises in taking what’s left and building it for his Glory.
He is God of what’s left and so FIGHT for what’s left. Because the enemy is after what’s left. The enemy knows what you are left with is dangerous. For the enemy knows He is God of what’s left. That’s why he wants you to constantly focus on what’s lost so that he can steal what’s left. Don’t keep regretting your past that you forget your present.
Don’t let the enemy touch your ruins.
A woman called Rizpah in the old testament amazes me every time I read that passage. Her two sons were killed by Gibeonites and they exposed the bodies of her sons on a hill and they were denied proper burial.
Scripture says:
“Rizpah daughter of Aiah took sackcloth and spread it out for herself on a rock. From the beginning of the harvest till the rain poured down from the heavens on the bodies, she did not let the birds touch them by day or the wild animals by night.”8
In the next verse it says this news reached the king and he went out and ordered a proper burial at last.
That’s what you call ‘Fighting for what’s left’.
Rizpah fought for her dead sons. How much more that you and I should fight for your living sons, daughters, your dreams, your husbands, your wives, your health. Don’t let the enemy touch the ruins. Don’t take what you have in your hands for granted. Husbands and wives: The family God has given you is precious. No matter what imperfections you see in your spouse, try to accept them as they are and fight for what’s left! Don’t keep mourning over your past!
Compelling and powerful Davidson! The time is now when so many are in critical situations and disasters.
Thanks