The opponents of the work seek to discourage the builders of the wall (v1-3). They seek to undermine their efforts.

Discouragement is one of the great weapons of the devil and one of the great challenges in Christian service. Discouragement can come from the opponents of Christ, from the whispers of the devil in our minds and sadly even from among God’s people.

Within the church we need to be a place of encouragement, supporting and spurring each other on. We need to be careful that we are sources of discouragements by our silence, or critical or cynical comments.

Nehemiah’s response to the discouraging comments was to turn to the Lord in prayer (v4-5). Prayer brings us to focus on the One who is much greater than anything that would bring discouragement.

The people are encouraged to persevere (v6) and the opponents then changed their tactics (v7-8).

The response of the people to the threats was both spiritual and practical (v9). We need to pray seeking God’s help and at the same time be as wise as we can be.