Build Anyway
Barry's Bureau | Inspired by Dr. Richard Price's sermon at Schrader Lane Church of Christ
When the wall of Jerusalem became visible, the ridicule started — and Dr. Richard Price shows us why opposition to God's work is often confirmation, not condemnation. Discover how to answer critics with progress instead of explanations, hold prayer and preparation together, and keep building even when the rubble of exhaustion piles up.
Every worthwhile project eventually runs into a wall of its own — the moment when work you've been quietly carrying suddenly becomes visible, and someone decides to have an opinion about it. Maybe it's a new habit, a marriage you're fighting to strengthen, a ministry you finally said yes to, or a season of recovery you're protecting one day at a time. The moment you stop merely dreaming and start doing, someone shows up with a critique, a smirk, or a flat attempt to shut you down. So what do you do when progress invites opposition instead of applause?
That's exactly where we find the builders in Nehemiah 4:6-9. The wall around Jerusalem had gone from a private burden in Nehemiah's heart to a public, half-finished structure — and the moment it became visible, Sanballat and Tobiah "were furious" and plotted "to come and fight against Jerusalem and create confusion in it" (v. 7-8). But the builders didn't fold. Scripture simply says, "we prayed to our God and guarded the city day and night to protect ourselves" (Nehemiah 4:9). In this fourth message in the series Nehemiah: Building What Matters, Dr. Richard Price calls that response Build Anyway — and the central truth is this: opposition doesn't mean you've missed God's will. Often, it's confirmation that you're doing exactly what He called you to do.
Don't Let Ridicule Redefine You
Sanballat's first weapon wasn't a sword. It was a sentence. "What are these feeble Jews doing?" he sneered. "Can they rebuild the wall?" Tobiah piled on, mocking that even a fox could knock down what they were building. As Dr. Price points out, before the enemy ever attacked the wall physically, he tried to weaken the builders psychologically — and that's still the enemy's favorite opening move.
Critics are skilled at calculating what you lack while leaving God completely out of the equation. "They saw the burned stones. They saw the tired hands. They saw the unfinished sections," Dr. Price preached, "but they did not see the gracious hand of God." Ridicule wants you to see your assignment through your critic's eyes instead of God's — to feel so ashamed of the work that you quietly abandon what they could never stop.
Here's the danger: being weary is a condition, not an identity. Having limited resources is a circumstance, not a cancellation of your calling. Nehemiah refused to run a public relations campaign to answer every insult. Instead, he took the insult upward in prayer — and then put his hands right back on the wall.
Pray and Post the Guard: Where Faith Meets Preparation
When ridicule failed to stop the builders, the opposition escalated — plotting an actual attack meant to "throw us into confusion" (Nehemiah 4:8). Confusion, Dr. Price notes, is always the enemy's real target. So how did Nehemiah respond? Not with panic, and not with passivity: "We prayed to our God, and we guarded the city day and night" (Nehemiah 4:9).
Dr. Price calls this mature faith — rejecting the false choice between spirituality and strategy. "Prayer without preparation can become presumption," he warned, "and preparation without prayer can become pride." Biblical faith knows how to kneel before God and then stand at its post.
What does that look like today? We pray for our homes — and we also set healthy boundaries. We pray for our children — and we also pay attention to what's shaping their environment. We pray for the church's vision — and we build systems to carry it out. A guard posted at the gate isn't evidence of fear; it's evidence of good stewardship. Nehemiah shows us a better way: pray fully, and prepare faithfully, at the same time.
When the Rubble Piles Up, Keep Building
By verse ten, the most dangerous threat in the whole chapter doesn't come from Sanballat at all — it comes from inside the camp. The workers were growing weary, and there was so much rubble that the work felt impossible. Rebuilding is exhausting, Dr. Price explained, because you're constructing tomorrow while still carrying away yesterday. The rubble is real: old wounds, neglected systems, failed expectations, and the debris of seasons that didn't go the way you hoped.
Notice how Nehemiah leads the weary. He doesn't lecture them. He repositions them to safer, more supported ground. He reinforces the exposed, vulnerable places in the wall. And he reminds them: "Remember the Lord, who is great and glorious." Fear magnifies the enemy; remembrance restores perspective. Tiredness distorts discernment — when you're exhausted, everything feels impossible, and even your calling can feel like a mistake. That's exactly when you need rest and remembrance, not a permanent decision. Sometimes weary people don't need another lecture about commitment. They need somebody to help them move the rubble.
Keep Your Tool in One Hand, Your Weapon in the Other
Once the plot against them was exposed, the builders didn't quit working — they simply changed their posture. Those carrying materials worked with one hand while holding a weapon in the other. Opposition altered their method; it never canceled their mission. The tool represents the work God has assigned you. The weapon represents Ephesians 6:17 — the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God that sustains the worker. Talent might get you started, but only truth will keep you standing.
Nehemiah also stationed a trumpeter, so that if any section of the wall came under attack, the whole community could gather to help. Different assignments never meant isolation, because everyone shared one wall. In the end, Nehemiah's confidence rested in neither the wall, the weapons, nor the strategy, but in God alone: "Our God will fight for us" (Nehemiah 4:20).
"Some criticism doesn't deserve a response. What it deserves is another brick." — Dr. Richard Price, "Build Anyway"
5 Ways to Build Anyway This Week
- When criticism comes, resist the urge to explain yourself endlessly. Respond with measurable progress instead — add another brick.
- Practice "pray and post the guard": bring your burdens to God in prayer, and take the practical, wise action stewardship requires.
- When you're exhausted, avoid permanent decisions. Rest, and deliberately remember God's past faithfulness.
- Check on someone under pressure in your circle. Be ready to "hear the trumpet" instead of staying isolated in your own section.
- Keep your tool — your assigned work — in one hand, and God's Word in the other. Both are needed to finish what He started in you.
Listen, Watch, and Learn More
Want the full message? Watch "Build Anyway" from Dr. Richard Price's series Nehemiah: Building What Matters, preached August 30, 2026 at Schrader Lane Church of Christ. Then test what you've learned with our Build Anyway quiz and study game, or explore more Priceless Lessons from Dr. Price at BarrysBureau.org.
Where Is Your Wall Right Now?
Where is the "rubble" in your life today — old wounds or neglected systems making the work feel impossible? And where is God calling you to keep building anyway, even while the critics talk? Take a moment this week to identify one section of your wall that needs a guard, and one brick you can add today instead of one more explanation you don't owe anyone.
What stood out to you most? Share your thoughts in the comments, and pass this along to someone who needs to keep building.
Join us for worship at Schrader Lane Church of Christ or visit BarrysBureau.org for more resources.
Seven questions on Dr. Richard Price's sermon "Build Anyway," from the series Nehemiah: Building What Matters. See how well you followed the lesson — and share your score when you're done!
Nehemiah 4 unfolds in a specific order — from rising enthusiasm to furious opposition to a steady, God-confident finish. Click each event below in the order you believe it happened, then check your sequence!