LaunchPad Prayer & Fasting

Ready to Work, Ready to Stand, Together Nehemiah 4:13-23; Ephesians 6:10-13  So, God\'s people heard God\'s call to accomplish His purposes. They watched Him work as He opened doors, provided the resources, and protected them on their journey to the job site. He put it in their heart to revive what had been destroyed, and…

When Fatigue and Fear Spread Faster Than the Work Nehemiah 4:10-12; Galatians 6:9  What do you do when you are completely overwhelmed? When there are piles of laundry stacked up three deep, or when you are just one paragraph into a six-page paper that is due much sooner than you would prefer.  There are lots…

Praying and Posting a Guard Nehemiah 4:7-9; Matthew 26:41  Opposition. That is what Nehemiah and God\'s people encountered as they rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem. Their enemies initially mocked and ridiculed the Jews. When that didn\'t stop the rebuilding, they plotted to fight against Jerusalem and create fear among the Jews. They eventually tried to…

A Willing People Get the Wall Halfway Up Nehemiah 4:6; Exodus 35:21, 29  Our God is a God who does great things! He is all-wise, all-powerful. And yet, when our God does these great things, He works in and through people.  In the story of Scripture, we don\'t hear about God reaching a giant hand…

Taking Our Insults to God, Not Into Our Hearts Nehemiah 4:4-5; Romans 12:19  Picture the builders up on the wall. The mortar is still wet on their hands. And they hear the voices of Sanballat and Tobiah saying things about them. Not words covertly whispered behind their backs. These guys want to be heard. They…

When Mockery Tries to Shrink the Vision Nehemiah 4:1-3; Psalm 123:3-4  Have you ever started a home project and part of the way through started hearing voices in your head about how maybe you\'ve taken on more than you can handle? I don\'t know what I\'m doing. I\'m not really qualified to do this. I\'ve…

Expect Ridicule When You Start Building Nehemiah 2:19-20; 1 Peter 4:12-14  Have you ever been bullied or mocked because something made you different? Being mistreated is painful, but have you ever faced opposition specifically because you were following Jesus and attempting to do God\'s work?  That is what Nehemiah experienced in Nehemiah 2:19-20:  \"But when…

Testimony That Moves People to Action Nehemiah 2:18; Acts 4:31-33  As we continue in this period of seeking the Lord through fasting and prayer, this study through Nehemiah has been giving us a glimpse into the life of a man and a people who put their trust and hope in the God of heaven to…

Naming the Trouble to Rally the Team Nehemiah 2:17; 1 Chronicles 12:32  When Babylon destroyed Jerusalem in 586 BC, the walls remained broken and the gates burned for more than a hundred years.  By the time Nehemiah arrived, the destruction was no longer fresh. People had returned from exile. The temple had been rebuilt. Worship…

Private Conviction Before Public Plans Nehemiah 2:16; Luke 2:19  Have you ever heard of a problem and had an idea for resolving it? An idea you thought was the right thing to do, because you had sought the Lord and done everything you knew to do to get to that solution? It\'s a great feeling.…

Looking Closely at What\'s Broken Nehemiah 2:13-14; Proverbs 24:30-32  It is a strikingly human instinct to want to fix things quickly. When we encounter pain, disorder, or a system that is failing, our minds immediately leap toward solutions, strategies, and timelines. We want to skip the discomfort of the damage and move straight to the…

Assessing Before Announcing Nehemiah 2:11-12; Luke 14:28-30  When something matters deeply to us, there can be a strong desire to move quickly—to identify what is broken, make a plan, and begin acting. But Nehemiah gives us a different picture. When he arrived in Jerusalem, he didn\'t immediately announce what he intended to do. Instead, he…