Nehemiah 3:28-32: a reflection

28Above the horse gate, the priests made repairs, everyone across from his own house. 29After them, Zadok the son of Immer made repairs across from his own house. After him, Shemaiah the son of Shecaniah, the keeper of the east gate, made repairs. 30After him, Hananiah the son of Shelemiah, and Hanun, the sixth son of Zalaph, repaired another portion. After him, Meshullam the son of Berechiah made repairs across from his room. 31After him, Malchijah, one of the goldsmiths to the house of the temple servants, and of the merchants, made repairs opposite the gate of Hammiphkad and to the ascent of the corner. 32Between the ascent of the corner and the sheep gate, the goldsmiths and the merchants made repairs.

As the wall of Jerusalem is rebuilt, the account records many people making repairs, and a phrase recurs: each worked on the section nearest to his own house. The priests made repairs, everyone across from his own house; Zadok made repairs across from his own house; another repaired across from his room. The great work of rebuilding the whole wall was accomplished as each person took responsibility for the part nearest to them, the section by their own house, and repaired it. No one had to rebuild the whole wall; each took up the portion closest to them, and together the whole was rebuilt. This is a picture of how a great work gets done: not by a few doing everything, but by each taking responsibility for the part nearest to them, the portion within their reach, and doing it faithfully. When each does the part closest to them, the whole is accomplished. The great work is done as each takes up the part nearest to their own place.

Notice how the wall was rebuilt: each repaired the section nearest his own house. No one was asked to rebuild the whole wall; each took up the part closest to them, the portion by their own house or room, and repaired it. And by each doing the part nearest to them, the whole wall was rebuilt. This is a wise pattern for any great work: it is accomplished not by a few trying to do everything, but by each taking responsibility for the part within their reach, the portion nearest to them, and doing it faithfully. We can be overwhelmed by the size of a great task, feeling we cannot do it all; but we are not asked to do it all, only to do the part nearest to us, faithfully, as each repairer did the section by his own house. When each does their own part, the whole gets done. To take up the portion nearest to us, the part within our reach, and do it well, is our share in the larger work. The wall was rebuilt one section at a time, each doing the part closest to them. Do your part, and the whole advances.

That is worth taking to heart, for a great work gets done as each takes responsibility for the part nearest to them and does it faithfully. We can be overwhelmed by the size of a great task, feeling we cannot do it all, and so do nothing; but the wall of Jerusalem was rebuilt as each person repaired the section nearest his own house, and together the whole was done. We are not asked to do everything, only to take up the part nearest to us and do it faithfully. Do not be overwhelmed by the whole of a great task; take up the part nearest to you, the portion within your reach, and do it faithfully, as each repairer worked on the section by his own house. Take up the part of the work that is nearest to you, the portion within your reach, and do it faithfully, rather than being overwhelmed by the whole, as those who rebuilt Jerusalem's wall each repaired the section across from his own house and together the whole was rebuilt; for a great work is accomplished not by a few trying to do everything but by each taking responsibility for the part closest to them and doing it well, so that when each does their own portion, the whole advances, and our share is simply to take up faithfully the part nearest to our own place.

Lord, as the wall of Jerusalem is rebuilt, the account records many people making repairs, and a phrase recurs: each worked on the section nearest to his own house. The priests made repairs, everyone across from his own house; Zadok made repairs across from his own house; another repaired across from his room. The great work of rebuilding the whole wall was accomplished as each person took responsibility for the part nearest to them and repaired it. No one had to rebuild the whole wall; each took up the portion closest to them, and together the whole was rebuilt. Show me how the wall was rebuilt: each repaired the section nearest his own house. No one was asked to rebuild the whole wall; each took up the part closest to them and repaired it. And by each doing the part nearest to them, the whole wall was rebuilt. This is a wise pattern for any great work: it is accomplished not by a few trying to do everything, but by each taking responsibility for the part within their reach. I can be overwhelmed by the size of a great task, feeling I cannot do it all; but I am not asked to do it all, only to do the part nearest to me, faithfully, as each repairer did the section by his own house. When each does their own part, the whole gets done. Take that to my heart, for a great work gets done as each takes responsibility for the part nearest to them and does it faithfully. I can be overwhelmed by the size of a great task, feeling I cannot do it all, and so do nothing; but the wall was rebuilt as each repaired the section nearest his own house. Keep me from being overwhelmed by the whole of a great task; help me take up the part nearest to me, Lord, the portion within my reach, and do it faithfully, as each repairer worked on the section by his own house and together the whole was rebuilt.