I Can't Come Down | Ponderings of a Pastor
Key Thought | When your heart is settled on obeying God, you won’t step down for every voice calling you away.
Key Scripture | “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?’” – Nehemiah 6:3 NLT
“I would rather swing and miss trying to obey God than miss it being fearful of people’s criticism.” – Greg Kennedy
If he said it to me once, he said it to me a million times. I find myself going back to that statement over and over again.
Like any statement, it could be taken out of context and misused to justify our own motivations. But when it is rightly understood, it is one of the most powerful things my father ever taught me.
Why? Because at its core it is saying this: I will fear God over man.
One of my favorite stories in Scripture reminds me of this truth.
“Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the Arab, and the rest of our enemies found out that I had finished rebuilding the wall and that no gaps remained—though we had not yet set up the doors in the gates. 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?’” —Nehemiah 6:1–3 NLT
Throughout Scripture we see the same pattern:
If Noah had bowed to criticism, he never would have built the ark.
If Nehemiah had listened to his enemies, the wall around Jerusalem would never have been rebuilt.
If David had feared people, he would have stopped dancing before the Lord.
And if Jesus had lived to please the crowd, He would have never spoken many of the truths that bring life to our spirits today.
There is a spirit trying to grab hold of the pulpits of the American church today, a spirit that is more fearful of saying the wrong thing than it is focused on saying the right thing.
This fear often leads to two different ditches, both of which distract from what God is calling His church to be in this moment. One ditch produces watered-down truth that rarely says anything of consequence. The other produces angry voices that appeal to our flesh and feed the frustration we feel toward culture.
The tragedy of both outcomes is that the church begins to look and sound more like the politics of our country than the character of our God.
What I love about the passage we read today is that Nehemiah was so clear about his assignment that he refused to come down and deal with things that would only distract him. Sanballat and Geshem were not just critics. They were distractions trying to pull Nehemiah away from what God had called him to do.
The question for us today is this: What are the spiritual Sanballats and Geshems in your life?
Remember, Scripture reminds us that we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, and the weapons we fight with are not the weapons of this world. Living with this kind of focus will inevitably mean that sometimes we miss it. As someone who has missed it plenty of times, I can tell you that this is true.
But I can also say this with confidence: every time I have missed it while sincerely trying to obey God, He has always met me with grace, mercy, compassion, and love.
Distractions are everywhere, even in things that appear good.
But today I remind myself again of Nehemiah’s words: I am doing a good work, and I can’t come down.
Before responding to every voice around you, take a moment to ask: Is this helping me stay faithful to what God has called me to do, or is it pulling me away from it? Some invitations are simply distractions in disguise. Today, may we have the courage to stay faithful to the work God has placed before us.
Prayer | Lord, thank You for the work You have called each of us to do. In a world full of distractions, criticism, and competing voices, help us keep our hearts anchored in You. Give us the wisdom to recognize what is from You and what is simply trying to pull us away from Your purposes. Teach us to fear You more than we fear people, and give us the courage to remain faithful to the assignment You have placed before us. When we miss it, remind us of Your grace and lead us back to Your heart. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Reflection
Key Scripture | “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?’” – Nehemiah 6:3 NLT
“I would rather swing and miss trying to obey God than miss it being fearful of people’s criticism.” – Greg Kennedy
If he said it to me once, he said it to me a million times. I find myself going back to that statement over and over again.
Like any statement, it could be taken out of context and misused to justify our own motivations. But when it is rightly understood, it is one of the most powerful things my father ever taught me.
Why? Because at its core it is saying this: I will fear God over man.
One of my favorite stories in Scripture reminds me of this truth.
“Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the Arab, and the rest of our enemies found out that I had finished rebuilding the wall and that no gaps remained—though we had not yet set up the doors in the gates. 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?’” —Nehemiah 6:1–3 NLT
Throughout Scripture we see the same pattern:
If Noah had bowed to criticism, he never would have built the ark.
If Nehemiah had listened to his enemies, the wall around Jerusalem would never have been rebuilt.
If David had feared people, he would have stopped dancing before the Lord.
And if Jesus had lived to please the crowd, He would have never spoken many of the truths that bring life to our spirits today.
There is a spirit trying to grab hold of the pulpits of the American church today, a spirit that is more fearful of saying the wrong thing than it is focused on saying the right thing.
This fear often leads to two different ditches, both of which distract from what God is calling His church to be in this moment. One ditch produces watered-down truth that rarely says anything of consequence. The other produces angry voices that appeal to our flesh and feed the frustration we feel toward culture.
The tragedy of both outcomes is that the church begins to look and sound more like the politics of our country than the character of our God.
What I love about the passage we read today is that Nehemiah was so clear about his assignment that he refused to come down and deal with things that would only distract him. Sanballat and Geshem were not just critics. They were distractions trying to pull Nehemiah away from what God had called him to do.
The question for us today is this: What are the spiritual Sanballats and Geshems in your life?
Remember, Scripture reminds us that we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, and the weapons we fight with are not the weapons of this world. Living with this kind of focus will inevitably mean that sometimes we miss it. As someone who has missed it plenty of times, I can tell you that this is true.
But I can also say this with confidence: every time I have missed it while sincerely trying to obey God, He has always met me with grace, mercy, compassion, and love.
Distractions are everywhere, even in things that appear good.
But today I remind myself again of Nehemiah’s words: I am doing a good work, and I can’t come down.
Before responding to every voice around you, take a moment to ask: Is this helping me stay faithful to what God has called me to do, or is it pulling me away from it? Some invitations are simply distractions in disguise. Today, may we have the courage to stay faithful to the work God has placed before us.
Prayer | Lord, thank You for the work You have called each of us to do. In a world full of distractions, criticism, and competing voices, help us keep our hearts anchored in You. Give us the wisdom to recognize what is from You and what is simply trying to pull us away from Your purposes. Teach us to fear You more than we fear people, and give us the courage to remain faithful to the assignment You have placed before us. When we miss it, remind us of Your grace and lead us back to Your heart. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Reflection
- What distractions or voices in your life might be pulling you away from what God has called you to focus on right now?
- What would it look like for you today to stay faithful to the “good work” God has placed before you?
We'd love to hear from you! Let us know in the comments what God is speaking to you as you read these devotionals. If you haven't already subscribed to receive our devotional emails right to your inbox, hit the subscribe button below and invite your family and friends to subscribe as well! Thank you for being a part of our Opendoor Devotional Community. We appreciate you!
No Comments