Third, we must face the problem. When Nehemiah was threatened by his enemies, some of his friends told him to hide in the temple. But he replied, ‘Should a man like me run away? Or should someone like me go into the temple to save his life? I will not go!’ As a result Nehemiah rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem in two months. He refused to hide from those who were opposing him, and instead carried on the work he knew God had called him to. We can be tempted to hide from our problems. We typically react to a problem in four ways: 1) Flee it: We try to escape, but the problem always follows us. No matter how many holidays we go on, or how much time we take off work, the problems will still be there when we get back. 2) Forget it: We hope it will go away if we don’t think about it. We bury our heads in the sand and pretend it’s not happening. But left alone, problems tend to get bigger. 3) Fight it: When we resist problems, they can end up lasting longer than if we dealt with them. Fleeing, forgetting, and fighting can actually cause the problems to get worse. Instead, we can: 4) Face it: We look at the issue realistically and deal with it. Facing things can feel scary, but we know that God’s with us and He’ll give us strength. In Isaiah it says: ‘So do not fear, for I am with you;do not be dismayed, for I am your God.I will strengthen you and help you’ (Isaiah 41:10 NIV). And we can ‘boldly say: “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear”’ (Hebrews 13:6 NKJV).

What Now?

Think of a problem you have right now. Are you fleeing, forgetting, or fighting it? If you are, ask God to give you the strength to face it instead.