Go Out Crying, Come Back Laughing

I have been deeply immersed in reading the Old Testament lately, especially some of the tougher parts. So, it's nice to get to a happy part, like the book of Nehemiah!

The story, in a nutshell, is this - this guy Nehemiah hears that Jerusalem, the city of God, is without walls and determines to rebuild them. Walls are a big deal because they provide both protection and dignity for residents.

So, overcoming incredible opposition, he gets the work done - a mammoth undertaking made all the more impressive because people wanted to undermine and even kill him at every step of the way. Nehemiah is one of the greatest primers on leadership in history.

And it gets even better. After the wall is built, the people gather together, hear God's Words read and rededicate themselves to following Him with their whole heart.

Psalm 126 was written about the events that the book of Nehemiah describe. It's a song of praise describing the people's desolation and humiliation being turned into triumph and joy.

Part of it reads like this:

"He who goes out weeping...shall come home with shouts of joy".

This means that no matter how tough our external circumstances may be, joy may be just around the corner.

What makes that happen? Look at Nehemiah for your answer:

-Courage in adversity
-Unwavering faith in God
-Faithfulness to God's promises and His call for you
-Deep knowledge of Scripture

And here is the most important thing. Nehemiah and the people of Jerusalem did not have the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus to hold close to their heart.

Given that you know that Story, how much more can you trust the faithfulness of God in your toughest circumstances!