Did you ever start a new project that seems overwhelming or impossible? Maybe you do your own taxes. Maybe you’ve built your own home or planned a week of VBS. One of my recurring, seemingly impossible tasks is trying to keep my office clean and organized. Usually it’s a matter of “got to” because I’ve misplaced something I need: a magazine, a CD, or a sticky note with an important phone number. I have a sense of urgency, but when I see the stacks of paper and books and folders, I hesitate—sometimes I just give up.

On a grander scale, imagine the gasps as the first Jews returning to Jerusalem from exile saw that the walls were gone, that the city on a hill was nothing more than mounds of rubble and toppled stones. Imagine the growing sense of being overwhelmed as they got closer to the city. They have a huge job—an impossible job?

It’s one thing to have a job that seems impossible just because it’s so much work, but sometimes the task gets tougher because of other factors. Add on doubts about your abilities, outside influences that undermine your efforts, and other responsibilities that have to be dealt with at the same time, and you’ve got a lot of reasons (or excuses, take your pick) why you might not finish the task. But that’s not usually an option.

With a job that seemed impossible, with people who likely thought they were incapable of doing it, and with the threat of armies plotting to stop them, Nehemiah led the Jews to finish the task. While our impossible tasks probably don’t include rebuilding city walls, we can attack them with strategies we can draw from this account.

Attack It in Stages
First, when faced with a seemingly impossible task, attack it in stages. Sanballat summed up the challenge, “Will they finish in a day?” It was painfully obvious the task was huge. So they had to take it in stages. Nehemiah says in verses 6 and 7 they repaired the walls and closed the gaps until “all of it reached half its height.”

There are probably a number of reasons why our tasks seem overwhelming. Sometimes we take on tasks we don’t know how to accomplish or we make them bigger by procrastinating. Maybe it’s because we’re made in the image of a God who can create anything by speaking, and our creative minds get the best of us. Whatever the reason, working in stages just makes sense. God could have simply spoken the whole universe into being on day one, plug-and-play, ready to go, but he chose to do it in stages over the course of a week.

For discussion:
How can you break your tasks into stages or turn your goals into smaller projects with step-by-step processes?
Read Luke 14:28. How can “counting the cost” help you identify the stages and in-between steps that are necessary to finish the task?

Attack It in Prayer
Second, we can see that God’s people attacked their task in prayer. As their enemies taunted them, questioning their abilities and ridiculing their efforts, they prayed. When their enemies saw that their efforts to undermine were not working, they started plotting to attack. So God’s people prayed. When other Jews warned them that their enemies were about to attack, verse 14 tells us that Nehemiah encouraged the people by saying, “Don’t be afraid of them. Remember the Lord.”

Our concerns about finishing the task usually aren’t based on our abilities or resources. Most often it’s a matter of mind-set. For whatever reason, huge tasks cause huge worries. Satan uses doubt and worry to stop our work. Jesus knew that, too. When faced with the eternally huge task of saving humanity from their sins, Jesus told his disciples to watch and pray so they would not fall to temptation (Matthew 26:41; Mark 14:38; Luke 21:36).

For discussion:
What frightens or worries you about the tasks you have to finish?
How can God help you defeat the worry and finish the task?

Attack It with Others
Third, attack your impossible task with others. In verses 13 through 17, Nehemiah says he posted people by families at low points and exposed places. Despite rank or privilege, everyone had a job. In fact, everyone had a double job, working on the walls and keeping watch, and they did it together.

Have you ever watched ABC’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition? The premise of the show is simple and scary at the same time: tear down a house and build a new one—usually a much bigger and better one—in its place . . . in one week. If you’ve ever seen a new home built, you know seven days isn’t the norm. How do they do it? They usually have hundreds, if not thousands, of volunteers who work around the clock together.

For discussion:
Who could help you attack your tasks because of their knowledge, skills, and experiences, or simply because they love you?
Who could you help because of your knowledge, skills, and experiences or because you love them?

Attack It with Purpose
Finally, attack a monumental task with purpose. Nehemiah told the Jews in verse 14 to remember God and fight for their families and homes. Their purpose was bigger than “build a wall.” It was a matter of restoring their relationship with God.

Ultimately, whatever task we have to finish, we need to focus on how it fits into God’s purpose and plans. Whether it’s a project at work, a household concern, or a ministry event or program, everything we do has a purpose beyond the here and now. Nehemiah told the people to remember God. Paul does the same thing in 1 Corinthians 10:31, telling us, “Whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” Our purpose has to look beyond this life, to an eternal goal.

For discussion:
Read 1 Corinthians 9:24-27. How does this eternal purpose encourage us to finish the task?
How would finishing your tasks bring glory to God?

* All Scripture quotations are from the New International Version, unless otherwise indicated.