Nehemiah 4:19 And I said to the nobles and to the officials and to the rest of the people, “The work is great and widely spread, and we are separated on the wall, far from one another. 20 In the place where you hear the sound of the trumpet, rally to us there. Our God will fight for us.”
21 So we labored at the work, and half of them held the spears from the break of dawn until the stars came out. 22 I also said to the people at that time, “Let every man and his servant pass the night within Jerusalem, that they may be a guard for us by night and may labor by day.” 23 So neither I nor my brothers nor my servants nor the men of the guard who followed me, none of us took off our clothes; each kept his weapon at his right hand.
As the people began to rebuild the wall, they faced increasing opposition from the jealous peoples around them - so much so that they feared for their very lives. So they developed systems to watch out for one another: each staying dressed and ready for battle, one keeping watch while the other one worked, staying together in the city, keeping a night watch going while others slept. The result was that the enemy was thwarted, the work was completed, and they developed a sense of unity and interdependence which lasted beyond the project. Projects and challenges are great - not just to accomplish things, but also for the character and relationships they develop. These are both the bi-products and the goals of working together - to come through them closer and stronger as God's people. Let us stick with it, and stick together.
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