By David Faust
Cigar-smoking comedian George Burns continued performing into his 90s. He said, “If you ask what is the single most important key to longevity, I would have to say it is avoiding worry, stress and tension.” Negative stress is hard to avoid, though, when political, racial, and interpersonal tensions fill the daily news, and strained relationships are common at home, work, and church.
Our word tension comes from the Latin tendere, which means to stretch (like a tendon in the body). Tension occurs when something is stretched physically (like pulling on a rubber band) or emotionally (by pushing us outside our comfort zones). The dictionary defines tension as an emotional state characterized by “inner striving or unrest” or “a state of latent hostility or opposition between individuals or groups.”
When you feel stressed out, it helps to recognize that some tensions are externally generated, some are internally generated, and some are actually healthy and lead to personal growth.
Tension from the Outside
Anytime you undertake a great project for the Lord, you will face opposition, and Nehemiah and the Jews were no exception. Mockers named Sanballat and Tobiah ridiculed their efforts to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem and scoffed, “What they are building—even a fox climbing up on it would break down their wall of stones!” (Nehemiah 4:3).
Mean-spirited criticism is common today, and it’s hard to endure. Bob Russell observes, “I think a lot of American people, if they had been present at the feeding of the 5,000, would have criticized Jesus for not providing lemon for the fish or enough butter for the bread. Bible-believing Christians are probably going to be criticized more and more as our pagan society becomes worse, so we need to be prepared for it.”
Soon Nehemiah’s critics changed from verbal ridicule to violent threats. Sanballat and Tobiah rallied nearby tribes to stop the wall-building project by force. “The Jews who lived near them came and told us ten times over, ‘Wherever you turn, they will attack us’” (Nehemiah 4:12).
Tension on the Inside
The workers grew discouraged. They must have wondered, “Are we kidding ourselves to think we can build the wall? Maybe it won’t work. It’s too risky. It’s not worth the effort.” Morale was fading. “Meanwhile, the people in Judah said, ‘The strength of the laborers is giving out, and there is so much rubble that we cannot rebuild the wall’” (Nehemiah 4:10).
Sometimes the biggest threat to success comes from our own minds. Have you ever become discouraged and felt like your strength was giving out?
The Upside of Tension
It’s good to be stretched! Guitar strings won’t produce pure notes unless the strings are pulled tight. Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote, “The world is all gates, all opportunities, strings of tension waiting to be struck.” For Nehemiah and his team of workers, tense times created:
- opportunities to rely on God and pray (Nehemiah 4:4-5).
- opportunities to work “with all their heart” (4:6).
- opportunities to combine faith with wise precautions. Nehemiah and his team “prayed to our God and posted a guard day and night to meet this threat,” continuing to build the wall while guarding against attack (4:9; 16-18).
Here is Nehemiah’s formula for handling tense situations: pray, plan, take proper precautions, and persevere. Some tension is inescapable, but when hardships come, remember, “suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope” (Romans 5:3-4).
Personal Challenge: What circumstances are creating tension for you right now? Try following Nehemiah’s formula and respond with prayer, planning, precautions, and perseverance.
Author: David Faust
David Faust serves as contributing editor of Christian Standard and senior associate minister with East 91st Street Christian Church in Indianapolis, Indiana. He is the author of Not Too Old: Turning Your Later Years into Greater Years.
