Let's Rise and Build: Rebuilding Walls, Restoring Community

Jul 19, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: When Ruined Walls Reveal Our Calling

Nehemiah’s grief over Jerusalem’s broken walls mirrors God’s heart for brokenness today. Just as rubble exposed vulnerability, our world’s fractures—spiritual apathy, fractured families, addiction—reveal divine assignments. God positions His people like Nehemiah, cupbearers turned rebuilders, in strategic places to respond. Burdens are not accidents but invitations to partner with Heaven’s blueprint. What looks like ruin is raw material for revival. [59:36]

“Then I said to them, ‘You see the trouble we are in: Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned with fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and we will no longer be a disgrace.’” (Nehemiah 2:17, NIV)

Reflection: Where has complacency dulled your response to the brokenness around you? What specific burden is God asking you to carry in prayer today?

Day 2: Eyes Opened to Unseen Cries

Jesus saw crowds as sheep without a shepherd, not just faces. Like Bartimaeus’ ignored pleas, our cities hide desperation beneath noise. The Holy Spirit trains us to discern sighs too deep for words—the single parent’s exhaustion, the addict’s silent shame. Revival begins when we exchange overwhelm for divine focus, one person at a time. [16:00]

“When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” (Matthew 9:36, NIV)

Reflection: Whose hidden struggle has God recently made you aware of? What practical step can you take this week to embody Christ’s compassion for them?

Day 3: Ordinary Hands, Extraordinary Assignment

Nehemiah recruited priests, bakers, and merchants—not architects—to rebuild. God’s kingdom advances through available hands, not polished resumes. Your daily work—parenting, coding, teaching—becomes holy ground when surrendered. The wall required all trades; Christ’s church needs your unique design more than your perfection. [21:24]

“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us…” (Ephesians 3:20, NIV)

Reflection: What “ordinary” skill or season has God been highlighting for His purposes? How might you offer it anew?

Day 4: Strengthened Hands for Long Obedience

Rebuilding walls meant blistered hands and enemy threats. Perseverance isn’t gritting teeth but gripping the Father’s hand daily. Like a toddler learning to walk, we mature through consistent dependence. The same hand that parted seas now steadies yours in burnout, doubt, or opposition. [33:12]

“So they strengthened their hands for the good work.” (Nehemiah 2:18, NASB)

Reflection: Where has weariness tempted you to abandon your assignment? How can you lean into the Spirit’s strength this week?

Day 5: The Miracle of Unified “I Do”

Ninety-three years of ruin fell in fifty-two days through united yeses. Heaven’s math multiplies surrendered hearts: one family hosting neighbors, another leading worship, another praying pre-dawn. Your “I do” to your wall section fuels a collective revival. Unity isn’t uniformity—it’s diverse gifts answering one call. [36:08]

“All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.” (Acts 2:4, NIV)

Reflection: What specific “wall section” (ministry, relationship, habit) is the Spirit asking you to fully embrace? How will you say “I do” today?

Sermon Summary

Nehemiah 2:17-18 places the people of God in front of walls that had been in ruin for ninety three years. Nehemiah carries a burden that was first taken before the Lord in prayer and fasting, and that burden is matched by what his eyes see in Jerusalem. The walls speak of identity, because Jerusalem’s broken defenses were a public disgrace. The walls also speak of security, because a city with burned gates was open to the attack of the enemy.

God had a people, a plan, and a purpose in the middle of that ruin. Nehemiah does not simply notice what is broken. Nehemiah calls the people to see it with awakened eyes: “You see the bad situation that we are in.” The danger was not only the enemy outside the walls. Comfort with brokenness had become its own opposition to the move of God.

Jesus stands as the greater wall builder. Nehemiah gathered people to rebuild Jerusalem, but Jesus gathers living stones to build his church. Christ says, “I will build my church,” and the gates of hell cannot overpower it because gates stand in defense. The church, as Jesus’ ecclesia, gathers to come into agreement with the word of God and is then sent into neighborhoods, jobs, families, and cities with the message of truth.

The mission of God is not reserved for the skilled, the polished, or the religious professionals. Nehemiah called priests, blacksmiths, bakers, and merchants to the wall. Jesus called fishermen. The issue is not ability first, but availability. The Lord looks for a yes in the spirit, a heart willing to say “I do” when the assignment comes.

Nehemiah strengthens the people by pointing not to his resume, but to the hand of God. The hand of God is his active presence, his power, authority, guidance, and protection. Faith begins when the people trust the God who is more than enough and align with what he is already doing.

The people answer with one unified resolve to arise and build. Their strengthened hands speak of commitment, determination, and a refusal to quit when kingdom business gets hard. What had been broken for ninety three years was rebuilt in fifty two days. God shows that when his people are unified, surrendered, and moving by the Holy Spirit, what looks impossible can be rebuilt for his glory.

Key Takeaways

1. Ruins can become familiar prisons A life can stare at broken walls so long that the brokenness begins to feel normal. Nehemiah’s word did not introduce a new problem, it awakened the people to what they had stopped seeing. The Spirit still opens eyes to needs that comfort, routine, and overwhelm have made easy to ignore. [74:17]
2. Availability matters more than ability The work of God did not wait for a perfect resume or a long apprenticeship. Nehemiah called ordinary people to ordinary sections of the wall, and Jesus called fishermen before he formed apostles. A willing yes becomes the place where the anointing stretches, prepares, and sends a person beyond natural readiness. [81:24]
3. God’s hand creates holy confidence The hand of God is not a static religious phrase, but the active presence that accomplishes his will. Nehemiah strengthened the people by pointing to divine favor rather than human strategy. Confidence grows when faith rests in the God who parts seas, brings down walls, and leads his people step by step. [88:06]
4. Unity turns impossible work possible The people moved from one prophetic voice to one collective response. Their unity did not remove opposition, but it gave them resolve to put their hands to the good work. God can rebuild in days what has lain in ruins for decades when his people stand in one accord with his purpose.

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Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[53:23] - Jesus Draws Near To Minister
[58:25] - Nehemiah’s Burden For Jerusalem
[61:30] - The Call To Rebuild
[63:07] - God Always Has A People
[64:32] - What The Broken Walls Reveal
[68:20] - Jesus Builds His Church
[71:20] - The Church As Ecclesia
[73:25] - Eyes Opened To The Need
[79:09] - From Spectators To Builders
[85:53] - Confidence In The Hand Of God
[91:14] - A Unified Voice To Build
[96:08] - Unity, Pentecost, And Possibility
[99:33] - Finding A Place On The Wall
[101:34] - Prayer And Salvation Invitation

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Nehemiah 2:17-18
“Then I said to them, 'You see the trouble we are in, how Jerusalem lies in ruins with its gates burned. Come, let us build the wall of Jerusalem, that we may no longer suffer derision.' And I told them of the hand of my God that had been upon me for good, and also of the words that the king had spoken to me. And they said, 'Let us rise up and build.' So they strengthened their hands for the good work.” [01:01:43]

Matthew 16:18
“And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” [01:08:46]

Matthew 9:36-38
“When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, 'The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.'”

Ephesians 3:20
“Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us,” [01:27:04]

Observation questions

In Nehemiah 2:17-18, what two problems does Nehemiah point out about Jerusalem before he calls the people to build?
According to the message of Matthew 16:18, who says he will build the church, and what image is used to describe the opposition against it? [01:09:30]
What kinds of people were named as taking part in rebuilding the wall, and what does that show about who was invited into the work? [01:21:01]
In Nehemiah 2:18, what happened after the people heard about the hand of God upon Nehemiah? [01:31:34]

Interpretation questions

Nehemiah says, “You see the trouble we are in.” Why might people need help seeing a broken situation that has been in front of them for a long time? [01:14:01]
The broken walls pointed to both identity and security. How can broken places in a people or a church affect both how they see themselves and how vulnerable they are? [01:04:47]
Jesus says, “I will build my church,” and the gates of hell will not prevail. What does that suggest about the church’s calling in the world: mainly hiding from darkness, or advancing with Christ’s authority? [01:09:33]
Nehemiah built confidence in the people by pointing to the hand of God rather than his own ability. What is the difference between moving by human confidence and moving by confidence in God’s hand? [01:27:39]

Application questions

Brokenness can become so familiar that it starts to feel normal. What is one area in personal life, family life, or the surrounding community that may have been accepted as “just how it is,” and needs to be seen again with open eyes? [01:14:17]
Jesus looks for availability, not just ability. Where is there hesitation right now because of feeling unqualified, unprepared, or not spiritual enough, and what might a simple yes look like in this season? [01:21:24]
A person can move from being a spectator of ruin to a builder in God’s work. What is one practical step that could help move from noticing needs to actually serving a specific person or place? [01:19:55]
The hand of God gives holy confidence. When facing something that feels too big, what would it look like this week to trust God’s hand one step at a time instead of waiting to feel fully ready? [01:29:33]
The people said, “Let us rise up and build,” and then strengthened their hands for the good work. Where is greater resolve needed right now so that obedience does not stop when the work gets difficult? [01:32:51]
Unity makes room for impossible things to be rebuilt. Is there any place where division, isolation, or independence has weakened commitment to God’s purpose, and what would pursuing unity look like in a real and humble way? [01:36:08]
Everyone has a section of the wall to build. What assignment may be in front of you right now—at home, at work, in the church, or in the neighborhood—that could be offered to God as your part of the wall? [01:40:19]

Sermon Clips

50s

#ChurchOnMission

“``See, Nehemiah looked at Jerusalem and saw the broken walls. Jesus looked at humanity and saw broken people. Nehemiah gathered a people to rebuild a city and Jesus is gathering his people, his church, the body of Christ to rebuild in this hour. See, the church is god's family on mission and our mission as the church in this hour is very simple. To go and make disciples, to preach the gospel, to demonstrate what it means to follow after Jesus, to to what it means to reorient our life, to say I do to the plan and the purpose of god in our lives.”

39s

#AvailableNotAble

“Just like Jesus, Jesus didn't call the educator. He didn't go to the seminary of that time to call his disciples. He went to the fishermen. Amen? He wasn't looking for the able. He was looking for the available and all he's called us to do is to make ourselves available to him. And see the hard thing is a lot times we can look at maybe, man, I don't have the degree. I haven't gone to pathways. I didn't go to Bible College. I haven't taken the growth track. I haven't done all these things. I don't have the pedigree but all Jesus is looking for is the availability of your heart.”

41s

#TrustGodsHand

“And so the people, they knew of the stories. They knew what god's hand was capable of. They knew that it was the hand of god that parted the Red Sea. They knew that it was the hand of god that was upon David when he killed Goliath. They knew that it was the hand of god that brought down the walls of Jericho and they knew that that same hand of god was upon them in that moment. They knew that they could rise up and build because of the confidence not in their own strength but because of the confidence that they had in the hand of god.”

36s

#HolySpiritPowered

“See, the same holy spirit that empowered the people of god, the church, and the book of Acts is the same spirit that empowers us today. That when we say yes, when we move forward and rise collectively and unified according to the will of god in this hour to rebuild, it is the holy spirit that does the work. It's not a single mission. It's a commission because we are co partnering with the work and the plan of god. Amen? Amen. God is faithful. God is able.”

37s

#CommitmentIsAction

“See, what commitment is is where our conviction becomes action. It's the action and the fruit of us prioritizing in our heart. God's will, god's work ahead of our own. It's a commitment and it's a resolve that is supernaturally aided by the Holy Spirit and his power. But it still requires a yes. It still requires an I do.”

63s

#StrengthenOurHands

“See, times are not always easy. Even when we accept the mission of god, the assignment of god for the kingdom, it will not always be easy and as we see in later verses that they too would face opposition from their enemies. But they had a resolve and a commitment in their heart. See, kingdom business is not easy. Dealing with people, working with the difficulties, the ruin of what we see in this world. It's not easy work. But there's a determination. Amen? That there's a strengthening of our hands. There's a resolve in our heart that the Holy Spirit comes to give us a do not quit, a reminder that we stand on the rock of ages, the foundation of Jesus Christ, that when times are difficult, that we are hewn into that foundation, that we can hold on to his hand, and that with one voice, we can rise together to encourage one another in this commitment.”

58s

#FromSpectatorsToBuilders

“see in the book of Nehemiah that a church on mission has an inclusive vision that welcomes all to be a part. See, now that their eyes were open, Nehemiah open their eyes to the need. He then invites them to become a part of the mission, to become part of the cause that god was was stirring in that hour, in that age. He was calling the people but he used Nehemiah to call them to attention and to give them a place and a role to serve. He says in the second half of verse 17, he says, come, Let's rebuild the Wall Of Jerusalem so that we will no longer be a disgrace. See, he's inviting the people to go from spectators of ruin to builders of the kingdom of god.”

47s

#EveryJointOnMission

“And see, when god calls us, he calls us in the very same way. That kingdom building, revival building doesn't happen on the stage. Amen? We need the stage. We need worship but it doesn't happen here on the stage. It doesn't happen in the two hours that we are here but it comes when the body of Christ, every joint that supplies has been activated, is stirring, and using the gifts that god has given you that when we are functioning, when we make room for everyone in this house to operate and to serve, we are operating as one with one mission, one voice, and one assignment. Amen? And it is Jesus, the chief architect of his church that is calling us to come on board.”

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