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Nehemiah 4:19-20. "And I said to the nobles and to the officials and to the rest of the people, 'The work is great and widely spread, and we are separated on the wall, far from one another. In the place where you hear the sound of the trumpet, rally to us there. Our God will fight for us.'”

 

As the Jews are working on rebuilding Jerusalem's wall, their enemies are plotting against them to stop the work. (Nehemiah 4:11) So Nehemiah has them working with one hand and carrying their weapons with the other. (Nehemiah 4:17). As they are spread out along the wall far from each other, he tells them to listen for the trumpet that will signal the point of attack when it comes. They are to rally there, and God will fight with them. 

 

This is so symbolic. The work of the Church in the world is great and widely spread, we all have to go out to our different tasks and callings. We do not (typically) have literal weapons in hand, but we keep our spiritual ones nearby at all times. Prayer is always in our minds and on our lips, while medals and other sacramentals are worn around necks, or kept in wallets, purses, and cars. We know attacks will come, but we don't know when or where. We must be ready to meet in those places where they do. I see people doing this every day, when someone needs help, others drop what they're doing and rally to them, it's beautiful.

 

But not everyone sounds a trumpet when they need assistance, there is not always the loud and obvious call. We have to also be alert to the quieter signals that help is needed. Sometimes the trumpet is someone crossing your path and wanting to talk. Sometimes it is realizing you haven't heard from a friend for a while and reaching out. Sometimes it is noticing silence, reticence, or retreat. The call to those trumpets is not as obvious as to the big battles, but the suffering calling to us quietly can be quite big indeed.

 

So while going about your daily tasks, listen for the sound of trumpets great and small, go to the places you hear them, and God will be there to fight at your side. In this way the work of the Church is accomplished, while the attacks of the enemy are repelled.