They were all trying to frighten us, thinking, "Their hands will get too weak for the work, and it will not be completed." But I prayed, "Now strengthen my hands." – Nehemiah 6:9

Today's Scripture Reading (November 15, 2023): Nehemiah 6

As I listen to the stories told by the survivors of the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel, there is one thing that I don't understand. Okay, that might be an exaggeration; there is probably more than just one thing that I don't comprehend about the Hamas attacks and Israel's retaliation. But one of the mysteries that I can't figure out is that many survivors of the October 7 attacks have spoken about the safe rooms that were built into their houses, and one of the common traits of these rooms was that there was no way to lock them from inside the room. The question that occurs to me, but apparently not to anyone responsible for building the rooms, is, "What good is a safe room that doesn't lock?" Most survivors share a joint story of attempting to hold onto the door's handle from the inside with their hands, possibly so that those on the other side would believe these unlockable doors were locked. One witness tells a story of a piece of wood, reinforced with iron that his engineer son designed that made it so the handle could not move, essentially locking the door. But even this locking system was an afterthought, not a lock that the room's designers understood needed to be an essential part of the room's construction.

Sanballat and the rest of the enemies of Israel continued to put up barriers to the completion of the rebuilding of Jerusalem. The hope was that if they could keep the exiles concentrating on the city's defense and other daily responsibilities, they might be too tired to finish the walls, and the rebuilding of Jerusalem would remain a dream to be completed by the next generation. It was a logical thought; the same plan had kept the city from being rebuilt for the past hundred years.

And so, Nehemiah prayed a very simple prayer: strengthen my hands. God, don't allow me to be like the generations before me who were too busy trying to do other things to complete the task at hand. Strengthen my hands so I can do what you have asked me to do.

It is the prayer of God's church today. God, help us not to become so distracted that we stop doing what you have called us to do. God, strengthen our hands so that we can love as you would have us love; strengthen our hands so that we can act with justice and mercy. Strengthen our hands so that we can make this world a better place. Lord, strengthen our hands.

I hope that someone decides to fix the problem of the safe room doors that don't lock because with the recent news coverage about this fatal design mistake, if there is a next time, the invaders might take a little more time trying to open the safe room doors. But on October 7, 2023, I can imagine many Israeli citizens sharing this simple prayer of Nehemiah, "Lord, right now I need you to strengthen my hands."

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Nehemiah 7