Veteran newscaster Tom Brokaw called them The Greatest Generation. This great generation was born between 1910 and 1929. They lived their formative years during the Great Depression. Demographers also call this the Builder Generation as they are seen to be the human force behind the building of America into the world’s foremost economy and power. Here in America, some of the greatest leaders of our time have builder roots.
When God calls leaders, He often calls them to lead through building. Ezra was such a man. So was Nehemiah. But not all the building God calls His people to accomplish has to do with bricks and mortar. God begins his work of building inwardly and spiritually.
I looked for someone who might rebuild the wall of righteousness that guards the land. I searched for someone to stand in the gap in the wall so I wouldn't have to destroy the land, but I found no one. Ezekiel 22:30, NLT
As you look around you today, what has God’s Spirit been pointing you toward that needs rebuilding? Are there spiritual investments you need to make in your own journey or in the lives of those with whom you have influence? Ezra carried out a three-point plan for rebuilding the Temple in Jerusalem:
For Ezra had set his heart to study the Law of the LORD, and to do it and to teach his statutes and rules in Israel. Ezra 7:10, ESV
How prepared are you to rebuild the walls around you? Have you committed your heart to the study of holy scripture? Are you following through on your spiritual journey by putting God’s word into practice as you discover it? And are you translating what you have learned through study and proven by experience into life lessons to be shared with others inside their own cycle of transformation?
Ezra and Nehemiah’s building was born out of the heartache of defeat and captivity. There, in a King’s court far away, God stirred their hearts and gave them a picture of what the future could be. It has been said that the greatest psalms were composed in hidden valleys.
God knows where you are. He knows the future He has for you (Jer 29:11). He knows what you will need to build. Are you, like Ezra, preparing to be that Builder?
Written by Steve Cartin
