Reflections of Nehemiah
Building the wall is a symbol of protection and security. What is the meditation for today? I sit in my corner thinking and praying about my fast in how is our life without the Lord? Sometimes, we live without believing because we find ourselves contemplating whether or not it is easier to live with religion, without God and spirit. In the beginning God was considered as breathe in our bodies. It was considered as the chi in the physical world, and as we are today in the present moment of technology the light bulb of man, women and children. Our culture as a people is investigated by our moments of waking up functioning and working for the betterment of people, society and government. In this episode of prayer and fasting, I find that my spirit searches the scriptures to find what is the wall of God? What was the necessity of the wall built of Jerusalem? Who was the light for that city? Is it possible that a whole country was involved with a belief that God truly was their protectors then why did they need a wall?
Nehemiah was the man that yearned to build the house of God and its wall. It is like building our own home with the gates that surround our house, or the fence around the house. Is it territorial boundaries to keep what is outside the boundaries separate from what goes on within the boundaries? As though what lies within the walls are sacred, holy and functioning in high esteem compared to what goes on outside of the walls. As though the walls were used to divide what was unclean from clean or should I say what was holy and what was not holy.
I determine in my own life that I do have a circle of boundaries where I have a space to study, a space to eat and a space to sleep. Each these spaces are sacred and holy within its function of purpose. It would be useless to cross over and use these spaces out of its function. When I eat in my bed, I leave crumbs, and that is not a good feeling. When I sleep in my study space I find it is hard for me to study when it is time for me to study in that space, and so forth. I try not to study in my eating space because I need to focus on my quality with nourishing my body. So in that sense, as I meditate and reflect on the scriptures, the struggle and challenge for Nehemiah to build a beautiful place for God’s presence to reside in and a obvious separation line to alarm others not to disturb has been underestimated by a few in the story. I can see how that is in life. I have some that would not respect my decision for my space when entering in my areas. I have to find complimentary ways to encourage and lead my guest elsewhere or lock these spaces up. My fasting and praying space is literally far fetch not easy for anyone to find because I have a sacred purpose, and I prefer not for this space to be trampled on.
In many ways, these scriptures are very effective to what we need in our own lives as a culture. Our forests are our environments that need some space. We have crossed over on many territories that aren’t ours. Our Indigenous people need space, sacred places and monuments of worship that should be honored and protected. It is in my heart that we learn how to give and show love to all cultures in the innocence of cleanliness and sacredness of environment and space. May the Lord bless us with the opportunity to grow and mature in the “…knowledge of God everything else are details.” (A. Einstein)
Blessings and blessed be
Rev Jeff