Nehemiah was well respected.  He was a Jewish man in Babylonia and he learned that although the temple of God had been rebuilt in Jerusalem, the walls were destroyed and the city didn’t have any gates. The people were struggling and Nehemiah sat down and wept. He wanted to help his people.  So, he prayed to God and asked God to soften the king’s heart so he could build the wall in Jerusalem.

One time he was serving the king and the king asked Nehemiah why he was sad (Nehemiah 2:2).

Nehemiah replied, “How can I not be sad when my city is in ruins?”

He begged for permission to return to his home to help rebuild the city.  The king let him go to his city, and Nehemiah thanked God for answering his prayers.

One night, he went by himself to see the walls of Jerusalem.  They began to work, and at one time the surrounding people did not want him to finish.  So, they tried to attack him. However, Nehemiah heard of it, so some men worked as others were standing guard (Nehemiah 4:17).  This is where the great preacher Charles Spurgeon captured the title of his paper, The Sword and the Trowel.

Some people mocked him (Nehemiah 4:1) and lied about him, but he didn’t stop.

Because he kept going, the wall was completed (Nehemiah 6:15).

The moral of the story is that no matter what, Nehemiah kept trusting in God.

Even when the people lied or mocked him, and even tried to kill him, he trusted in what God had called him to do. If you want your kids to know more, read the book of Nehemiah.