Nehemiah Rebuilds the Walls of Jerusalem

Nehemiah is living comfortably in the Persian capital when his brother shows up with heartbreaking news — Jerusalem's walls are in ruins and its people are in disgrace. What follows isn't a strategy session. It's one of the rawest prayers in the entire Bible.

Nehemiah has been carrying his grief for four months. When the king finally notices, what follows is a split-second prayer, a bold request, a secret midnight ride through Jerusalem's rubble, and a rallying cry that turned a demoralized city into a construction crew.

Nehemiah 3 reads like a construction log — name after name, gate after gate, section after section. But buried in the list is something extraordinary: a picture of what it looks like when an entire community stops waiting for someone else to fix things and starts building together.

Nehemiah and the people face relentless opposition as they rebuild Jerusalem's walls. Between mockery, death threats, and internal exhaustion, they find a way to keep building — with a trowel in one hand and a sword in the other.

While the people of Jerusalem are busy rebuilding their walls, a crisis erupts from within — the wealthy are exploiting their own neighbors through crushing debt and even slavery. Nehemiah confronts it head-on, demands immediate restitution, and then backs up every word with twelve years of sacrificial leadership that redefines what power is for.