If you are like me, it is sometimes hard to fathom the intense hatred and crazy rhetoric spoken against President Trump especially in regards to the current issue of building a wall. No matter what side of the issue you are on, we can glean insight from another wall builder from biblical times—Nehemiah.

In Nehemiah 4, the methods of attack and underlying issues can be clearly seen as government officials took a stand against Nehemiah and the wall. When Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, he became angry and was greatly incensed. He ridiculed the Jews. (Neh 4:1)

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1- Anger: Intense anger/rage is the first indicator behind the underlying spirit which manifests in words of ridicule and mocking. We see that daily in the media and from government officials who are in opposition. When have we ever seen such rage at a president before? Never in my lifetime. It is simply an indicator of what is underneath.

But when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites and the people of Ashdod heard that the repairs to Jerusalem’s walls had gone ahead and that the gaps were being closed, they were very angry. They all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and stir up trouble against it. (Neh 4:7)

2- Stir up trouble: Verse 7 in the NASB says, Sanballat and Tobiah worked to “cause a disturbance.” We can see that happening in our country as those who oppose the president are doing everything in their power to cause a disturbance and stir up anger in others to stop progress. In Nehemiah’s day they understood the importance of stirring up as many others as possible to build a small army to oppose the work. It is no different now. Why? Because there is strength in numbers. We would do well to learn that. As Christians we make up one of the largest groups in America and yet we have been beaten down into silence afraid to speak up. Why? Because they will ridicule us? My friend it is time to take courage and take a stand.

Also, our enemies said, “Before they know it or see us, we will be right there among them and will kill them and put an end to the work.” (Neh 4:11)

3- A murderous spirit was present: Anger turns to rage, which then turns into a murderous spirit. It is a spiritual progression which can be seen throughout the Bible. Remember Saul’s anger against David? Haman’s anger against Mordecai and the Jews? The officials of that day had so given themselves to rage, that no longer was it enough to just stop the work on the wall. Instead, their offense and anger opened the door to a murderous spirit which was intent on killing Nehemiah and the workers to stop the progress. Make no mistake that is what we see in our land and in present day officials. There is a determination to stop the president at all cost.

SO, WHAT DID THEY DO? WHAT CAN WE DO? 

But we prayed to our God and posted a guard day and night to meet this threat. (Neh 4:9)

Set a guard day and night. As intercessors we are the guards who have been posted to meet this threat. We are to guard through prayer day and night for protection around the president and the work being done. This is about fasting and prayer to see breakthrough.  Therefore, I stationed some of the people behind the lowest points of the wall at the exposed places, posting them by families, with their swords, spears and bows. (Neh 4:13)

Protect the exposed places. Nehemiah had a strategy to post families to protect the exposed places. This is important that families were coming together as a group to protect the exposed areas. As a family—churches, prayer teams, actual family members, we need to unite and pray regarding areas that are exposed and which are most vulnerable. In this case what comes to mind is the president’s family. Workers who are now going without pay checks. Perhaps you see other areas. These are vulnerable areas that those who oppose will exploit to cause more disturbance. These are areas we cannot leave unguarded in prayer even as we continue to pray for those laboring to get the work done.

Pray for those in leadership and contact them. After I looked things over, I stood up and said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people, “Don’t be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your families, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes.” (Neh 4:14)

We need to not only pray for our officials, but we need to contact them and encourage them. I was in a meeting with one of our Oklahoma state senators last week when he made a rather startling statement. He said, “It can take as few as five people contacting their congressional leader to change a vote.” He went on to explain how constituents rarely contact their senators or representatives. However, he explained that lobbyists do. “Senators and representatives know lobbyists by name because they are constantly contacting us. Shouldn’t they know your names as well?” he admonished.

If we are praying for our elected officials, then we need to let them know. If you agree with their stand, let them know. If you disagree with their stand, let them know—nicely. With today’s technology it takes very little time or effort to reach out via an email, a Facebook post on their wall or a phone call. (See below for contact information). As intercessors we are the ones who are standing with “weapons” in hand. The weapons of our warfare are not only prayer, but our ability to communicate with others and our elected officials. We are to speak up and speak out.

It’s time to rally together.

Why were Nehemiah and the Israelites successful in their quest? Because they rallied together. At whatever place you hear the sound of the trumpet, rally to us there. Our God will fight for us. (Neh 4:20)

Let us learn from the attack years ago in the days of Nehemiah the power of unity. The Church needs to come together as one to rally and assemble together in prayer and action. When we hear that there is an attack—we need to assemble and support rather than standing back and watching. We need to stand in solidarity—for then we will see our God fight for us. He fights when we fight—in prayer.

How to contact your elected officials:

The easiest way is to enter your zip code on the “Find Leaders by Zip Code” search bar on the home page at IFApray.org. You will see a list of all of your elected officials. Follow the links to send an email or call. One of our intercessors sent a personal prayer to one of her senators—he asked his staffer to call her to thank her for her prayer, telling her that it was very meaningful to him that she prayed for him and his family.

Karen Hardin is an intercessor, author, minister and literary agent.  Her work has appeared in USA Today, World Net Daily, Crosswalk.com, Charisma, CBN.com, The Elijah List, etc. For additional information you can contact her at www.prioritypr.org or karenhardin.com.