MARCH 2, 2015
A
Deadly Weapon
Those
who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; . . . they shall run and not
be weary, they shall walk and not faint. —Isaiah 40:31
Read:
Nehemiah
4:1-10
Boxing legend Muhammad
Ali used several ring tactics to defeat his opponents; one tactic was taunting.
In his fight with George Foreman in 1974, Ali taunted Foreman, “Hit harder!
Show me something, George. That don’t hurt. I thought you were supposed to be
bad.” Fuming, Foreman punched away furiously, wasting his energy and weakening
his confidence.
It’s an old tactic. By referring to Nehemiah’s efforts at
rebuilding the broken wall of Jerusalem as nothing more than a fox’s playground
(Neh. 4:3), Tobiah intended to weaken the workers with poisonous words of
discouragement. Goliath tried it on David by despising the boy’s simple weapons
of a sling and stones (1 Sam. 17:41-44).
A discouraging remark can be a deadly weapon. Nehemiah refused
to surrender to Tobiah’s discouragements, just as David rejected Goliath’s
diabolical teasing. Focusing on God and His help rather than on their
discouraging situations, David and Nehemiah both achieved victory.
Taunting can come from anybody, including those who are close to
us. Responding to them negatively only saps our energy. But God encourages us
through His promises: He will never forsake us (Ps. 9:10; Heb. 13:5), and He
invites us to rely on His help (Heb. 4:16).
Lord, it’s easy to let
discouragement sap my energy
and joy. Help me to reject all agents of
discouragement in my life and to trust in You for comfort and strength.
If you’re in a tunnel of discouragement, keep
walking toward the Light.
INSIGHT: Despite the taunting that the Israelites
faced from multiple sources when rebuilding the walls and city of Jerusalem,
they had courage and confidence in God. They had returned to Jerusalem just as
God had promised through the prophet Jeremiah (Jer. 29:10).
Source: Our Daily Bread 2012