When “They” Try to Stop Me?

So you’ve been actively working to reach a goal. The type of goal that has you on your knees because you need all the help and favor possible to achieve it. Like purchasing that dream home, forgiving an unfaithful spouse, obtaining a degree, starting a business. As you make progress and see the finished line here comes the plot, the setback, the people who get in the way. The pressure gets heavy and you feel as if it’s time to quit. What do you do?

“So Sanballat and Geshem sent a message asking me to meet them at one of the villages in the plain of Ono. But I realized they were plotting to harm me, so I replied by sending this message to them: “I am engaged in a great work, so I can’t come. Why should I stop working to come and meet with you?”
– bible.com/bible/116/NEH.6.2-3.NLT

The Old Testament speaks of the people who came against Nehemiah. As the story goes, they had been out to get him for sometime. As the wall, his mission, his dream, his thirty-thousand-foot prayer, neared completion, his opposition intensified. They wanted Nehemiah to stop the work, but Nehemiah didn’t give them the time of day. 

This prayer we’re getting ready to pray are Nehemiah’s words and I think they are exactly what we need in this situation.

[Pray This] Lord, as I face the threats that are trying to stop my progress, I’m reminded that what I’m working on is a “great work” and I can not stop working. Give me the perseverance to continue in Jesus’ name.

Your Action (What action based on your prayer can you take?):
There are four actions I can think of that can help when I find myself in this situation:
1) I remember what I’m working towards and why.
2) I remain focused on the work at hand.
3) I pay attention to how far I’ve come.
4) I see ahead what remains to be completed.

For more on this topic, see “The Uncommon Solution to the Plots Working Against You.”

Prayer Disclaimer Notice: prayer is not a miracle, it’s our conversation with God which gives us insight on how to respond to our situations and the world around us. For more detail, please review our prayer disclaimer notice in its entirety, available at nolongercommon.com/nlc-prayer-disclaimer.