There is a war movie on Netflix that I keep skipping over, but I think I'll break down and give it a watch. It's called "The Siege of Jadotville". It's about a group of Irish soldiers who were operating as a part of U.N. forces in the Congo back in the 1960's. I came across a YouTube video that explained the history surrounding the event and it was pretty interesting. The forces in the Irish camp knew there was the likelihood of attack at any moment, so the base commander ordered that his troops be armed with their rifles at all times. They went to eat... they had their rifles. They went to Catholic mass... they had their rifles. They went to bed... they slept beside their rifles. Eventually, enemy forces attacked. After several days of fighting, the aggressors had suffered over 1300 casualties while the Irish and support troops only suffered 3 dead and 13 wounded. Many years later, military strategists and historians universally agree that the commander's decision for everyone to never be unarmed was largely to credit for the relatively low level of casualties on the part of the Irish, especially in the early phases of the battle.
Yesterday we saw how Nehemiah had the Israelis arm themselves to prepare for any potential attack. Like the Irish troops, Nehemiah ordered the Israelis to always be ready for action.
So we continued the work with half the men holding spears, from the first light of dawn till the stars came out. At that time I also said to the people, “Have every man and his helper stay inside Jerusalem at night, so they can serve us as guards by night and as workers by day.” Neither I nor my brothers nor my men nor the guards with me took off our clothes; each had his weapon, even when he went for water. (Nehemiah 4:21-23)
I can only imagine how frustrating it must have been for Nehemiah to see the work he was completing and then having to sacrifice part of his workforce to stand guard against potential attack which may or may not come. If I was Nehemiah, each day we didn't see an attack would have been a day I wondered how much quicker our construction would have proceeded. Still, Nehemiah understood that there was a difference between "acting on faith" and acting foolishly out of a sense of naivety.
There have been moments, as we've been setting up this church, where a legal or procedural roadblock popped up which caused us to pump the brakes. These incidents have been pretty minor, but they are still frustrating. God gives us wisdom, patience... every virtue that drives many individuals mad... and he gives us these traits so that we can be better equipped and spiritually mature to accomplish a great calling. You see, God doesn't just want us to be virtuous because it's his personal preference; there is a practical side to exhibiting the virtues in the Bible! Sometimes virtue causes us to be more careful and other times it causes us to be more bold. In every instance, it leads to an individual who is resilient in the face of obstacles and steadfast in their sense of purpose. The second we decide that we "know better" and ignore these virtues of patience, wisdom, discernment, calm, etc... that's when Satan will find us the most vulnerable.
The cynical part of me says that the day Nehemiah decided to stand-down his guards to help the construction move quicker would have been the day they got attacked. We owe it to ourselves and our individual callings to always be at the ready for whatever the world throws at us; identify where we may be weak and strengthen those defenses. Then, when the world throws trials and temptations our way, we will be able to stand strong.
DAILY PRAYER A Prayer for Virtue in the Face of Challenges
Lord, please help us to remember our calling and purpose when times get tough. Help us to not get impatient when life throws roadblocks in our way and to keep our tempers in check. All things will happen in your time and in a way that pleases you. Knowing that should be enough, but so often we get frustrated and decide to do things our own way. Help us to have to discernment to tell when a conviction comes from you and when it comes from our own desires. With you, all things are possible, no matter what the world throws in our face. In Jesus' name, Amen.
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