Rebuilding the Walls

I prepared these remarks for our Sunday, March 15, 2015 church service, in which Pastor Jim Palmer, Assistant Superintendent of the Ohio Ministry Network, presented a certificate of ministry to me before my congregation.  

From left to right: Jeff and Mary Harmison and Jim Palmer

Nehemiah was grieved when he heard that the walls of Jerusalem, the hometown—if you will—of his people, were broken down.  He knew that meant they had no defense against their enemies, and he was worried about his countrymen.  They needed protection.  Nehemiah was not in Jerusalem.  He was in Persia, serving the king of Persia, and he began to pray that God would intervene and make a way for him to travel to Jerusalem to help his people.  And God did exactly that.   

A couple of years ago, I became increasingly aware of the need for God’s people to be equipped to defend and share their faith.  Spiritually speaking, we have an enemy out there who hates us.  He hates our liberty, and he wants to do everything he possibly can to intimidate us into silence so that we won’t share the gospel with those who don’t yet know Christ.  He wants us to be ashamed of our views so that we won’t speak the truth, so that we won’t take a stand on controversial issues.  He wants to brow beat our kids into abandoning their faith and embracing things they shouldn’t.

Today, our freedom and our religious liberties are under attack, and the moral walls of American culture are lying in ruins.  We, the church, know the Answer.  Like Nehemiah and his countrymen, we need to step up and confess our shortcomings and our sins to God.  We need to seek God's favor and direction, and then we need to get busy rebuilding the walls where we live.  Every one of us has a role to play in this effort. 

  

About two and half years ago, I began to pray and seek God for wisdom about my part.  What can I do to make a difference?  What can I do to share my faith with others?  What can I do to equip God’s people—especially our kids and students?  God has given me several assignments, but one of the assignments was not something I anticipated.  He called me into ministry and told me I needed to study for my credentials.  So two years later, here I am.  Daily, I want to take advantage of every opportunity God provides to love others, show His compassion, speak the truth, and rebuild the walls—and I want to challenge you to do the same. 

Finally, I want to thank all of you for your prayers and support.  I would not be standing here today without them.  I want to thank my family and especially my husband and my kids, who are partners in ministry with me.  You three are a huge blessing to me, and I’m so grateful for you. 

Written Saturday, March 14, 2015.  Those who heard Pastor Palmer’s address on Sunday may note some striking similarities between his message and these written remarks, which I did not deliver in their entirety, due to the fact that Pastor Palmer had just covered very similar concepts during his introduction.