Fight with One Hand

Nehemiah 4:14 - When I saw their fear, I rose and spoke to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people: “Do not be afraid of them; remember the Lord who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives and your houses.”

Nehemiah 4:17 - Those who were rebuilding the wall and those who carried burdens took their load with one hand doing the work and the other holding a weapon.

Nehemiah was sent back to Jerusalem to rebuild the wall that was destroyed around the city. The Israelites had been in captivity in Babylon for 70 years, and God was restoring them to the land He had promised them. The temple had been rebuilt and now it was time to rebuild the wall to protect the city. Of course, the people that had come in and inhabited the land after the Israelites had been taken captive were not happy about this progress. They knew that a fortified city would be difficult to conquer, and they did not want the people of God to be restored to the land they had been inhabiting. These enemies started to threaten the people as they were rebuilding the wall. Nehemiah encouraged these workers with a reminder that their Lord was great and would give them victory as they fought for their loved ones. He told them to work with one hand on their sword.The Israelites had been in captivity in Babylon for 70 years, and God was restoring them to the land He had promised them. The temple had been rebuilt and now it was time to rebuild the wall to protect the city. Of course, the people that had come in and inhabited the land after the Israelites had been taken captive were not happy about this progress. They knew that a fortified city would be difficult to conquer, and they did not want the people of God to be restored to the land they had been inhabiting. These enemies started to threaten the people as they were rebuilding the wall. Nehemiah encouraged these workers with a reminder that their Lord was great and would give them victory as they fought for their loved ones. He told them to work with one hand on their sword.

Who has God given you to fight for? Have you been carrying your sword with one hand while you work? What does “fighting” look like? In the Christian walk, fighting with the sword means fighting with God’s word. Hebrews 4:12 calls God’s word a double-edged sword. That is the weapon we are to keep our hand on as we work.

I read a book years ago called The Circle Maker by Mark Batterson. It was about praying scripture for each of our prayer requests. I started by making a list of things that I had been praying over and then searched scripture to find something in God’s word that spoke to that request. My prayer list is now a few pages long. One of my examples is asking God to give unity to my family. The scripture I chose was Romans 15:5, “May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another in accord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ”.

God’s word lends power to your prayer. When you pray using scripture, you are praying the promises of God into your petitions. The biggest weapon we have against the enemy is the Word of God. This is how you fight for your loved ones. This is how you keep one hand on your weapon as you work. Our God does fight for us, but we are also called to fight alongside Him. Our loved ones need us to pick up our sword daily and stand in the gap for them. I know I get a boost of encouragement each time someone tells me they are praying for me, because I know they have just added an extra layer of protection over my life. So, pick up your weapon, dear sister, and fight “for your sisters, your sons, your daughters, your husbands and your houses.”