This showed itself in three ways.
(1) In prayer.
Nehemiah was a man of prayer. When any trouble arose, his heart turned
as if by an holy instinct to God, and so, when Tobiah mocked their
efforts, Nehemiah gave no rough answer, but he turned his heart upwards
and said, “Hear, O our God, for we are despised.” {52a} How much bitter
strife would be avoided in the world if men acted like Nehemiah, and,
instead of retorting, spread out their provocations before God.
But the conduct of the opponents soon turned from mockery to war, and
there was a plan to attack the rising walls. But the attack was met just
in the same way as the insult. In both cases he gave himself to prayer.
I cannot imagine a better illustration of the praying believer than the
words in verse 9, “Nevertheless we made our prayer unto our God, and set
a watch against them day and night.” They heard of the conspiracy, and
at once spread the intelligence before God; but, having done so, they did
not consider that prayer superseded effort, but day and night they set
their watch on the walls. Had they watched without praying, they would
have been trusting to their own forethought; and had they prayed without
watching, they would have tempted God to leave them. But they watched
and they prayed, and they prayed and they watched, and so they acted in
the spirit of the words in aftertimes spoken to us, “Watch and Pray.”
{52b}
(2) Their faith showed itself also in the recognition of what God had
done for them. Faith not only asks God’s help, but acknowledges it. It
gives Him thanks for His action as well as asks Him to act; so when the
danger was past we find Nehemiah ascribing it all to the good hand of God
on his efforts. He did not say, “When we had defeated their plans,” but
“When God had brought their counsel to nought.” {53}
(3) Faith looks forward to the future. When the workmen were all at
their posts; when the builders laboured, every one having his sword
girded by his side; when the trumpeter stood by the chief, ready at any
moment to sound the alarm; when the voice of prayer had been heard day
and night all along the line of the rising walls; when all had been done
that man could do—then the heart rose high above all that man had done,
and in calm, confident trust, Nehemiah assures the people, saying, “Our
God shall fight for us.” He had made preparation, but he trusted to God
for victory. He was at the head of a feeble people, but he was the
servant of the Most High God. He knew that the battle was not to the
strong, nor the race to the swift; so he rested his hope on the strong
hand of his God, and in simple faith he trusted Him to give the victory.