I ended the last post with this question from Psalms 11:3:
If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?
The answer is actually quite simple: rebuild.
Now, I know that is easy to say and considerably harder to do. But there is no other choice.
Nehemiah followed God’s call to return to Israel from Persia. His task? Rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. What he saw could have led him to despair, yet he had faith that the Lord had given him this job/ministry. He was going to have to get others to join him; he couldn’t do it alone. So he addressed the citizens of Jerusalem in this way:
Then I [Nehemiah] said to them, “You see the bad situation we are in, that Jerusalem is desolate and its gates burned by fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem that we may no longer be a reproach.” And I told them how the hand of my God had been favorable to me. . . . Then they said, “Let us arise and build.” So they put their hands to the good work.
Not one of us alone can rebuild what has been destroyed in this nation. We must work together. Our tasks will be different since we are all made with specific and unique talents. Yet if we do the part God has called us to do, the culture can change for the better, and the government can be restored to its original purpose.
This is why I teach. It’s why I accepted the invitation to chair a department at my university. I believe that the Lord can work through the teaching of history to provide a clearer perspective on His purposes. The new public policy degree can be the vehicle for training students for service in the government and in agencies that influence what the government’s policies will be.
This is why I blog. If my few words on a daily basis can help anyone understand better what the Lord wants of His people, then the time it takes to think and write is not wasted.
Those who name His name are called. They are chosen. They are to be about their Father’s business. His promise is that we will reap what we sow, so let’s get busy sowing. The foundations need to be reestablished. The walls need to be rebuilt.