Forget the selfish lament that was the previous post.

we will rebuild the wall, and God's hand is still on you and I pray it goes well with you. You've had impact in our lives. Your heart and effort is touching.

I thought it'd be a good idea to open my bible I had again neglected. It was bumpy, and i open it up to where it falls open because somebody left a pen on the page and closed my bible. Turns out to be Nehemiah. And on the study page reads the heading: Persistence Prays; read Nehemiah 4:1-23. So i started reading from there....but I couldn't stop until they had completed rebuilding the walls of Jeruselum. And a few verses hit me because God insisted on poking my eyes out: challenging and encouraging me.

Nehemiah4:2
And he [Sanballat] spoke before his brethren and the army of Samaria, and said, “What are these feeble Jews doing? Will they fortify themselves? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they complete it in a day? Will they revive the stones from the heaps of rubbish—stones that are burned?” (kj)
"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?" (niv)

Nehemiah4:6
So we rebuilt the wall till all of it reached half its height, for the people worked with all their heart (niv)
So we built the wall, and the entire wall was joined together up to half its height, for the people had a mind to work. (kj&nkj)

Nehemiah4:14
And I looked, and arose and said to the nobles, to the leaders, and to the rest of the people, “Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, great and awesome, and fight for your brethren, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your houses.” (nkj)

Nehemiah4:17&18
Those who built on the wall, and those who carried burdens, loaded themselves so that with one hand they worked at construction, and with the other held a weapon. 18 Every one of the builders had his sword girded at his side as he built. And the one who sounded the trumpet was beside me. (nkj)

Nehemiah4:19
Then I said to the nobles, the rulers, and the rest of the people, “The work is great and extensive, and we are separated far from one another on the wall. 20 Wherever you hear the sound of the trumpet, rally to us there. Our God will fight for us.” (nkj)

Nehemiah5:6
And I became very angry when I heard their outcry and these words. 7 After serious thought, I rebuked the nobles and rulers, and said to them, “Each of you is exacting usury from his brother.” So I called a great assembly against them. (nkj)

Nehemiah5: ...8&9
Then they were silenced and found nothing to say. 9 Then I said, “What you are doing is not good. Should you not walk in the fear of our God because of the reproach of the nations, our enemies? (nkj)

Nehemiah6:9
They were all trying to frighten us, thinking, "Their hands will get too weak for the work, and it will not be completed." But I prayed, "Now strengthen my hands." (niv)
For they all were trying to make us afraid, saying, “Their hands will be weakened in the work, and it will not be done.” Now therefore, O God, strengthen my hands. (nkj)

Nehemiah6:15
So the wall was finished on the twenty-fifth day of Elul, in fifty-two days.

Nehemiah6:16
And it happened, when all our enemies heard of it, and all the nations around us saw these things, that they were very disheartened in their own eyes; for they perceived that this work was done by our God. (nkj)
When all our enemies heard about this, all the surrounding nations were afraid and lost their self-confidence, because they realized that this work had been done with the help of our God. (niv)

Nehemiah 7:2
That I gave my brother Hanani, and Hananiah the ruler of the palace, charge over Jerusalem: for he was a faithful man, and feared God above many. (kj)
that I gave the charge of Jerusalem to my brother Hanani, and Hananiah the leader of the citadel, for he was a faithful man and feared God more than many.(nkj)
I put in charge of Jerusalem my brother Hanani, along with Hananiah the commander of the citadel, because he was a man of integrity and feared God more than most men do.(niv)

It flows better when you read the whole thing (naturally).
Now? Now there is hope. We will finish rebuilding the wall.
Forgive me for my doubts, Love....

...Lord

have your way.