Stephen Witmer

There’s a lie we all want to believe—even against all available evidence. It trades on our God-given capacity for hope. It tempts even those with impeccable theology. It lures us in and then leaves us in the lurch. It goes like this: “Life will get easier if I just make it past this current challenge.”

We feel this way about life stages. “If I can just find a romantic partner . . . make it through grad school . . . marry and settle down . . . have children . . . survive the diaper stage . . . survive the terrible twos . . . survive the teen years . . . find a better job . . . retire . . . then, finally, all will be well.” We think this way about temptations. “If I can accumulate enough in my bank account, I won’t be anxious anymore.” “Once I own my own home, I won’t envy what others have.” “After I marry, pornography will no longer be an issue.”

Because the Bible is realistic, almost every page punctures the lie. In particular, the clear-eyed story of Nehemiah reminds us that God’s people face lifelong hardships and temptations. At the same time, Scripture is not a counsel of despair for those in Christ. Like Nehemiah, we can learn to let hard be hard yet also filled with hope.

Sea of Hardships
Tasked with rebuilding the Jerusalem wall, Nehemiah finds himself surrounded by enemies. They simply will not quit in their efforts to stymie his work. Like Wile E. Coyote, the famous cartoon nemesis of the Roadrunner, the adversaries are unrelenting, undeterred, always trying new schemes. Their initial strategy for hindering Nehemiah is mockery and public shame (2:19; 4:1–3). When that fails, they try deception, pestering Nehemiah for a private meeting, meaning to harm him (6:1–4). Then, in an open letter (so that the rumor will spread), they mention that he’s rebelling against Persian authority (6:5–7). They try to ruin his reputation (6:10–13) and send more letters to scare him (6:19).

I can imagine Nehemiah saying to himself, “If I just get this wall rebuilt, life will be easier.” But that’s the lie. Because once the wall is completed, the houses of Jerusalem must be rebuilt and the city repopulated (7:4). And, as it turns out, those who fill the city are sinful, which means Nehemiah must respond to continued and complicated crises (Neh 13). It never stops. God’s people face lifelong hardships and temptations.

Yet biblical realism needn’t lead to pessimism or passivity. Despite stiff opposition, Nehemiah and his followers keep on working and complete the wall (6:15). Despite the continued disobedience of those who returned to Jerusalem, Nehemiah continues to make reforms and call the people back to God (Nehemiah 13). Nehemiah chooses to face real hardships and temptations with energetic hope rather than slack despair. His story also shows us how.

Looking Up
In the midst of unrelenting opposition, Nehemiah repeatedly looks up. He speaks to the God of heaven who is here with him: “But now, O God, strengthen my hands” (6:9). Here’s the first key to joyful perseverance amid pervasive difficulties: look up to God.

Nehemiah is famous for setting his sights heavenward in tight spots. He tells us that, in the intimidating presence of King Artaxerxes of Persia, “I prayed to the God of heaven” (2:4). As he recounts his enemies’ taunts, he bursts into prayer: “Hear, O our God, for we are despised!” (4:4). He’s a shining example of how to look up.

We know the Messiah’s name and the details of his story. We’ve seen God’s glory in Jesus’s face. His very Spirit lives inside us, encouraging and emboldening us. We enjoy his continual help. Through him, we possess constant, confident access to the Father. So, ultimately, we don’t need hardships and temptations to end because we have God with us in the midst of them.

Looking Back
Not only does Nehemiah gaze heavenward; he also looks backward. God’s past faithfulness is a second source of indomitable hope. My church supports global partners who recently realized that sharing stories of God’s faithfulness on the mission field is noticeably decreasing their anxieties while there. This can be true for us too. As we meditate on God’s help in the past, our confidence in him grows in the present.

Surely, this is one of the reasons for the otherwise baffling inclusion of Nehemiah 7, a long genealogy of the first wave of exiles who had returned to Jerusalem a century before Nehemiah’s day (see also Ezra 2). Why include it here? Because it’s a tangible, specific reminder of God’s meticulous past provision. It fuels hope. Similarly, the people’s celebration of the Feast of Booths (Neh. 8) reminds them of what God has already done for them.

We too should look back. “I remember the days of old; I meditate on all that you have done; I ponder the work of your hands” (Ps. 143:5). Of course, we’re able to ponder thousands more years of God’s faithfulness than Nehemiah could. The reservoir of God’s grace has grown, and that grace now includes Jesus’s life and redeeming work. God’s past work fuels present confidence in the face of future challenges. We press forward by looking back.

God’s people endure hardships and temptations that will not end before heaven. New difficulties are surely just around the corner for you—only a text, call, or email away. But don’t despair—and don’t pin your hopes on the vain expectation that suffering will cease. There is no paradise here. Instead, look back and look up. God’s love will outlast every discouragement, fear, anxiety, setback, and temptation we face.

Dr. Stephen Witmer is the pastor of Pepperell Christian Fellowship in Pepperell, Massachusetts, and adjunct professor of New Testament at Gordon-Conwell. He is the cofounder of Small Town Summits, and author of A Big Gospel in Small Places. A longer version of this piece first appeared at Desiring God (used with permission).