Let Opposition Drive You To God

"Think upon me, my God, for good, according to all that I have done for this people."
Nehemiah 5:19   

Nehemiah had a good work to do. He was in charge of building the defensive wall of Jerusalem after it had been destroyed about 70 years earlier. It was a massive job that would require almost super-human effort by Nehemiah and the people even in the best of circumstances. However, the circumstances were far from good. They faced opposition on several different fronts. Nehemiah did not let the opposition slow him down, but rather he used his own personal example of generosity, hard work, and selflessness to show the people how to live. He also used the opposition as an opportunity to pray for God's blessing. "Think upon me, my God, for good, according to all that I have done for this people. At first glance, this may sound like a selfish prayer, but it is not. When a selfless man asks for blessings on himself, everyone benefits because that man is quick to share God's goodness with others.

Can you, as a father, honestly pray the prayer of Nehemiah? Have you done your family good? If God blesses you, will you selflessly share the blessing with your family? Raising a family in a godly way is a super-human effort in the best of circumstances, but Satan makes sure that there is plenty of opposition along with a multitude of bad examples. Let the opposition drive you to God. If God blesses you, you will bless your family.