When Opposition Comes
Nehemiah 5:1-23
Professor Clark is the Australian inventor of the cochlear implant, commonly known as the “bionic ear.”
His father was deaf and so Graeme wanted to develop a device that could help profoundly deaf people hear sounds and understand speech. He faced opposition as many scientists believed the auditory system was too complex for this approach to work effectively; some surgeons were concerned that implanting electrodes into the inner ear was too dangerous; and research grant applications were rejected because reviewers doubted that the proposed technology would work.
However, Professor Clark had a great team that worked well together and he prayed to God for a solution. While on holidays at the beach he saw a seashell which had the same spiral shape as the cochlear, or inner ear. He had been trying to work out how wires might reach the regions of the cochlear transmitting the speech frequencies. That day on the beach Graeme picked up the shell and threaded a long blade of grass around the shell and then realised he was onto something. Soon thereafter, Graeme and his team invented the cochlear implant device with many now hearing.
In the Bible, Nehemiah experienced opposition during the rebuilding of Jerusalem’s wall. As the wall went up so did the opposition to it increase.
Nehemiah chapter 4 tells of neighbouring countries mocking the rebuilding (vs.1-3) including threats to attack (v8). That and being exhausted made the people of Judah discouraged (vs.10-12). That’s what continual opposition does. It demoralises.
Showing leadership, Nehemiah called people to prayer, divided half the workers to rebuild, while the other half stood guard (vs.4,9,13,16,17). There was a trumpeter to sound the alarm in case of attack (v18). Importantly, Nehemiah reminded them in verse 14, “Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome…” (Nehemiah 4:14 NIV).
The Lord enabled the people of Judah to rebuild the walls in just 52 days, causing the surrounding nations to back down (Nehemiah 6:15-16).
Are you experiencing opposition? Everywhere you turn, are you confronted with barriers to your vision or ministry? It can be demoralising.
Setbacks do not have to mean surrender. If you believe that you are doing what is right, keep at it. Learn from Nehemiah – pray, re-strategize, continue the work with a committed team, and remember, that "the battle is not yours, but God's" (2 Chronicles 20:15 NIV).
David Moyes
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