Haters

Haters

Bible:Nehemiah 6:1-15

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” (V.9).

Reading

Josh Evans never existed. Still, he made friends with 13-year-old Megan online. After a little while, he sent this message, “I don’t know if I want to be friends with you. You’re not nice to your friends.” Josh posted more and more bullying messages until Megan committed suicide. As it turned out, ‘Josh’ was actually the mum of one of Megan’s friends, pretending to be a teenage boy so she could hurt her. Nehemiah understood all about living under the shadow of bullies who hated him and wanted to hurt him. When he and the Israelites were rebuilding Jerusalem’s wall (after they returned from exile), he said his bullies were “trying to frighten us” (NEHEMIAH 6:9). Sanballat and Geshem sent messages asking Nehemiah to meet with them so they could stop his work. Then they threatened to tell the king that Nehemiah was planning a rebellion. Bullies are everywhere—at school, online and even at home. When they are attacking us and we feel overwhelmed, let’s copy Nehemiah. We don’t need to solve the problem ourselves or fight back or believe the things they say. We need to talk to God, because His words are the truth. Then we will be confident, as Nehemiah was: “Nothing like what you are saying is happening; you are just making it up out of your head” (V.8). Nehemiah then prayed, “Remember, O my God, all the evil things that [they] have done” (V.14 NLT). No one can stand against us when we belong to God (ROMANS 8:31-33). Nehemiah proved it. When he and the Israelites finished the wall, his bullies were the ones who were “afraid and lost their self-confidence, because they realised that this work had been done with the help of our God” (NEHEMIAH 6:16).

No one can stand against us when we belong to God

YouTh Edition – Our Daily Bread Ministries