Most people think of Nehemiah as the book about rebuilding a wall. And it is. Stones, gates, mortar, a 52-day construction project around Jerusalem.
But the more time I spent in Nehemiah, the more convinced I became that the wall isn't really the point. The wall is the setting. The real story is God rebuilding His people.
Think about it. The walls were broken because something had broken between God and His people long before the Babylonians ever showed up. Fixing the stones without fixing the hearts would have just been a nicer-looking ruin. So while the people are hauling rubble, God is doing a deeper work. He's restoring their faith, their families, their sense of who they are, and their relationship with Him.
That's why I think this book speaks to us so clearly. Most of us aren't rebuilding a city wall. But all of us have something that needs to be reconstructed. Maybe it's your faith. Maybe it's your family or a relationship that has drifted. Maybe it's your health, or your priorities, or a part of your life you've quietly stopped looking at.
And Nehemiah isn't a dry rebuilding manual. It's a great story. You've got real history. You've got opposition that mocks, threatens, and schemes. You've got heroes who show up and do the work, and villains who would love to see it all fall apart. There's even a guy who ends up with a room in the temple he never should have had. (You'll have to read chapter 6 for that one.)
But underneath all of it, God is at work, patiently restoring His people.
That's what Rebuilding What Matters Most is about. It walks through Nehemiah one section at a time, and every chapter comes back to the same hope: broken things are not beyond the reach of God.
The book releases this Sunday, November 1. If you'd like a signed or personalized copy, you can preorder one here: pastorphilayres.com/rebuilding
It's also available for Kindle preorder, and the audiobook, in my own voice, is coming to Audible.
Whatever needs rebuilding in your life right now, I hope this book helps you take the first step.
Grace and peace,
Phil