Purpose Study Bible 355: Your Place on the Wall

Nehemiah 3 can seem like one of those chapters you can skim because it contains a long list of people and the sections of the wall they repaired. Yet that list contains an important purpose principle:

The men of Jericho built the adjoining section, and Zakkur son of Imri built next to them (Nehemiah 3:2).

Everybody didn't build everything, but everybody was expected to build something. The wall was too large for any one person to rebuild, so Nehemiah organized the work and gave people responsibility for specific sections. Some worked near their homes, some worked on gates, and others repaired portions of the wall. They didn't have to worry about the entire project. They simply had to build their part while others built theirs.

The same is true for your creative purpose. God doesn't expect you to do everything that needs to be done, but He does expect you to discover what He has equipped you to do and then do it well. Purpose restricts you to certain people, problems, places, and projects where you can be most effective. You don't have to compete with someone working on another part of the wall, so to speak, because their assignment doesn't diminish the importance of yours.

What is your part? Are you building it, or are you spending too much time looking at what others are doing? Are you dismissing what you can do because in your estimation it isn't as big or significant as others on the wall? Your purpose may be yours, but it was never intended to be fulfilled in isolation.

When everyone does their part, individual purpose becomes part of a corporate accomplishment. The people in Nehemiah 3 weren't simply building separate sections of stone; together they were rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem. You may only see the small portion God has given you to build, and it may not seem significant to you, but He sees the whole wall. Build your part well, help others build theirs, and trust God to put all the pieces together.