How to Overcome Mockery and Hindrances

Nehemiah rebuilding Jerusalem (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

 “Then I said to them, “You see the trouble we are in: Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned with fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and we will no longer be in disgrace. ” I also told them about the gracious hand of my God on me and what the king had said to me. They replied, “Let us start rebuilding.” So they began this good work.  But when Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite official and Geshem the Arab heard about it, they mocked and ridiculed us. “What is this you are doing?” they asked. “Are you rebelling against the king?” I answered them by saying, “The God of heaven will give us success. We his servants will start rebuilding, but as for you, you have no share in Jerusalem or any claim or historic right to it.” Neh.2:17-20 (NIV)

The dread of mockery has bobbed the world of the contributions of many people all through the ages. The great inventions that we have today are products of courage, creativity and bravery. They are Victories against mockery.

There are people, who are always around to tell you that you are not good enough; they laugh at you when you start to do exercises, diet or promote safe driving habits that could save your life and that of others but the truth is that you can do anything whether it is stopping to smoke or achieving a record breaking feat; you should disregard people who belittle your efforts or attempt to derail you. They are cruel mockers and in most cases they have stopped people with their treacherous mockery. Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite official and Geshem the Arab made dangerous attempts to stop Nehemiah using mockery, hate and physical attacks.

“Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall. So he burned with anger. He became very upset. He made fun of the Jews. He spoke to his friends and the army of Samaria. He said, “What are those Jews trying to do? Can they make their city wall like new again? Will they offer sacrifices? Can they finish everything in a single day? The stones from their city wall and buildings are piled up like trash. And everything has been badly burned. Can they use those stones to rebuild everything again?” Tobiah from Ammon was at Sanballat’s side. He said, “What are they building? They’re putting up a stone wall. But suppose a fox climbs on top of it. Even that will break it down!” Neh.4:1-3 (NIRV)

Sometimes these people step up to take physical actions to stop you like they did to Nehemiah and the Israelites. ”But Sanballat and Tobiah heard that Jerusalem’s walls continued to be repaired. The Arabs and some people from Ammon heard the same thing. Some men from Ashdod heard about it too. They heard that the gaps in the wall were being filled in. So they burned with anger. All of them made evil plans to come and fight against Jerusalem. They wanted to stir up trouble against it.” Neh.4:7-8 (NIRV).

What should be your attitude to these people, their bad words and manners? Pray, be courageous and keep focussed.

“I answered them by saying, “The God of heaven will give us success. We his servants will start rebuilding, but as for you, you have no share in Jerusalem or any claim or historic right to it.” Neh.2:20 (NIRV)

“I prayed to God. I said, “Our God, please listen to our prayer. Some people hate us. They’re making fun of us. So let others make fun of them. Let them be carried off like stolen goods. Let them be taken to another country as prisoners. Don’t hide your eyes from their guilt. Don’t forgive their sins. They have made fun of the builders.” So we rebuilt the wall. We repaired it until all of it was half as high as we wanted it to be. The people worked with all their heart.” “But we prayed to our God. We put guards on duty day and night to watch out for danger.” Neh.4:4-6, 9 (NIRV)

Nehemiah confronted them with his prayers, trust in God and confession. He prayed and continued his project. In the same way, you must:

1. Let God be your source of strength and your recourse for help.
2. Confess your faith and draw strength from the word of God.
3. You must know that many other achievers had the same trials and overcame them.
4. You must not surrender your initiatives. You are not responsible to them.
5. Stay away from people who mock and undermine you, people who constantly trample on your self-esteem. They are horrible destroyers. It doesn’t matter who they are. God doesn’t want you to be treated that way.

“How strong God is! He despises no one; there is nothing he doesn’t understand. He does not let sinners live on, and he always treats the poor with justice. He protects those who are righteous; he allows them to rule like kings and lets them be honored forever” Job 36:5-7 (GNT)

These are same people who will be first called when you succeed; they come around to enjoy the fruit of your labour. They will tell you “we know you are going to make it”. They are profuse liars whose words should not be regarded.

Don’t be trapped by cruel mockery and people who delight in them. You must be careful; there are times when people indulge in this evil without knowing exactly the harm they are doing. This does not reduce the danger it causes. You must learn to define your purpose and diligently pursue it.

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