When the Wall Still Needs to Be Built
There is a simple instruction Jesus gave His disciples in one of the most difficult moments of His life:
“Watch and pray, so that you will not come into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
Matthew 26:41
Those words were spoken in the Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus knew what was coming. The disciples did not fully understand it yet.
Yet His instruction to them was remarkably simple:
Watch. Pray.
As I have reflected on those words alongside the story of Nehemiah rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem, I believe there is another word we need to add:
Build. Watch. Pray. Build.
I believe God is calling us in this season to become people who know how to build without becoming blind, and how to watch without becoming distracted from what God has called us to build.
Watch
When Jesus told His disciples to watch, He was not merely telling them to stay awake.
The idea carries the meaning of remaining alert, being attentive, being vigilant, and paying attention to what is happening around us.
There are seasons when we can become spiritually sleepy.
We can still come to church, still sing., still pray, still serve.
But somewhere along the way, we stop paying attention.
We stop noticing what is happening in our hearts, what is happening in our families.
We stop recognizing the small compromises.
We stop paying attention to the things that are slowly draining our spiritual strength.
And Jesus says:
Watch.
Pay attention. Stay awake. Discern what is happening.
Sometimes the enemy does not need to destroy the whole wall.
He only needs an opening.
That is one reason the story of Nehemiah is so powerful.
The people of God were rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem. They had an assignment, but they also had opposition.
Nehemiah did not tell them to stop building because opposition had appeared.
He told them to keep building while also remaining watchful.
Nehemiah 4 describes a people working on the wall while others stood guard. Those carrying materials worked with one hand while holding a weapon in the other.
Think about that picture. One hand was building. The other was prepared to defend.
They were not going to allow opposition to stop the assignment God had given them.
And there is something important in that picture for us.
There are people who are rebuilding right now.
You may be rebuilding your faith. Your family. Your confidence. Your prayer life. Your finances. Your calling.
Your sense of purpose. You may be rebuilding something God placed in your hands.
And because you have encountered opposition, you may have started wondering whether you should stop.
But opposition does not necessarily mean the assignment is wrong.
Sometimes opposition comes because what you are building matters.
So keep building. But watch.
Do not become so focused on building that you stop paying attention.
Do not become so busy serving that you stop guarding your heart.
Do not become so committed to the assignment that you neglect your relationship with God.
Watch.
Pray
But watching by itself is not enough.
If all we do is watch, we can become fearful.
We can become suspicious.
We can become consumed with everything that could go wrong.
That is why Jesus did not simply say, “Watch.”
He said:
Watch and pray.
Prayer changes our posture.
Prayer says, “God, I see what is happening, but I know You are greater than what I see.”
Prayer keeps our watchfulness connected to God.
This is important because the goal is not to become people who are constantly looking for the devil.
The goal is to become people who are constantly looking toward God.
Watch and pray.
Stay alert, but stay connected.
Pay attention, but do not panic.
Discern, but do not become consumed by fear.
Prayer reminds us that we are not responsible for controlling everything we see.
We are responsible for remaining faithful to the One who sees everything.
When you do not know what to do, pray.
When you are tired, pray.
When you are under pressure, pray.
When you are rebuilding, pray.
When you see a gap, pray.
When opposition appears, pray.
And sometimes, after you pray, God will remind you of something very simple:
Keep building.
Build
Nehemiah’s people did not spend all their time watching the enemy.
They kept building the wall.
They understood that their responsibility was not simply to defend what already existed.
They were also responsible for building what had not yet been completed.
That distinction matters.
Sometimes we can become so focused on what is attacking us that we forget what we are supposed to be building.
We spend so much time talking about the opposition that we lose sight of the assignment.
We analyze every attack.
We discuss every problem.
We watch everything happening around us.
And while we are watching, the wall remains unfinished.
Perhaps this is why we need all three words:
Watch. Pray. Build.
Watch for the gaps.
Pray for strength.
And keep building.
Do not let what is fighting you distract you from what God has called you to build.
Do not let yesterday’s battle consume today’s assignment.
Do not spend so much time watching what the enemy is doing that you forget what God is doing.
The wall still needs to be built.
Stand in the Breach
There is another powerful picture in Ezekiel.
God says:
“I have searched among them for a man to build up the wall and to stand in the breach before me on behalf of the land…”
Ezekiel 22:30
God was looking for someone willing to stand in the gap.
That image should challenge us.
A gap represents vulnerability.
A breach represents a place where something has been broken, weakened, or left unprotected.
And God was looking for someone willing to step into that place.
Not someone who would simply point out the gap.
Someone who would stand in it.
There are plenty of people willing to identify what is wrong.
But God is still looking for people who will say:
“God, send me.”
Who will pray for their families?
Who will stand in the gap for their children?
Who will pray for their churches?
Who will intercede for their communities?
Who will see a broken place and instead of simply criticizing it, ask God what they can do about it?
Who will see the gap and step into it?
That is what watchfulness, prayer, and building look like when they become more than words.
God Is Calling Us to Wake Up
I believe God wants to awaken His people.
Not simply to make us more aware of darkness, but to make us more aware of Him.
He wants to awaken people who can discern.
People who can pray.
People who can stand.
People who can build.
People who can recognize the breach without becoming consumed by it.
People who can acknowledge opposition without surrendering their assignment.
People who can remain vigilant without living in fear.
That is the balance.
Watch without fear.
Pray without ceasing.
Build without quitting.
So, What Are You Building?
Maybe that is the question we should ask ourselves.
What has God placed in your hands?
What are you building right now?
Perhaps it is your marriage.
Perhaps it is your family.
Perhaps it is your relationship with God.
Perhaps it is your character.
Perhaps it is a ministry.
Perhaps it is a business.
Perhaps it is your calling.
Perhaps you are rebuilding something that was damaged.
Perhaps you are building something that has never existed before.
Whatever it is, do not allow opposition to convince you that you should abandon the assignment.
Watch.
Pay attention.
Guard your heart.
Discern the gaps.
Pray.
Stay connected to God.
Seek His wisdom.
And then build.
Keep building.
Because the presence of opposition does not automatically cancel the assignment.
Sometimes it confirms that what you are building matters.
Watch. Pray. Build.
So I want to leave you with these three words:
Watch what God is doing.
Watch what is happening in your heart.
Watch for the places where there are openings.
Pray when you do not know what to do.
Pray when you are tired.
Pray when you are under pressure.
Pray when you are rebuilding.
Pray when you are standing in the gap.
And keep building.
The wall still needs to be built.
The family still needs to be strengthened.
The calling still needs to be pursued.
The purpose still needs to be fulfilled.
So, Father, awaken us.
Wake us up spiritually.
Give us eyes to see what we need to see.
Give us discernment without fear.
Give us vigilance without anxiety.
Teach us to pray.
Teach us to stand in the gap.
And give us the strength to keep building even when there is opposition.
Make us a people who watch.
Make us a people who pray.
And make us a people who build.
In Jesus’ name.
Amen.
Watch. Pray. Build.
