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Nehemiah 6:1-19

I Am Doing a Great Work

Lyrics · Nehemiah

I Am Doing a Great Work

Nehemiah 6:1-19

Lyrics

About this song

About this song

This song belongs to the Nehemiah collection. One recording is available to play here, with the complete lyrics below.

Bible book
Nehemiah
Collection
Nehemiah
Musical styles
Alternative Pop
[Verse 1] Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem, and the enemies hear that no breach remains. Sanballat and Geshem invite Nehemiah to meet in the plain of Ono. He answers that a great work prevents him from coming down. A fifth message arrives as an open letter. [Pre-Chorus] The doors were shut, the sentence had been sealed, Then one brave step brought hidden things revealed. [Chorus] I Am Doing a Great Work, the chamber held its breath, A sealed decree could turn a realm to death. Yet courage crossed the threshold of the throne, And hidden providence made justice known. [Verse 2] He recognizes that fear is intended to weaken working hands. Nehemiah prays for strengthened hands. Shemaiah urges him to hide inside the temple from an assassin. He perceives that Tobiah and Sanballat hired the false prophecy. [Bridge] The wall is finished on the twenty-fifth day of Elul. The entire work takes fifty-two days. Enemy nations become afraid and know the work was accomplished by God. Judah's nobles continue correspondence with Tobiah, reporting his deeds and carrying threats. [Final Chorus] I Am Doing a Great Work, the chamber held its breath, A sealed decree could turn a realm to death. Yet courage crossed the threshold of the throne, And hidden providence made judgment known. [Outro] The gate stood open after fear had fled. Justice remembered every word that had been said.

Named in this songNehemiah

About the passage

Nehemiah 6: The wall closes, but the letters keep coming

With the wall almost closed, Nehemiah's opponents change tactics. Sanballat and Geshem repeatedly invite him away from Jerusalem, then circulate an open letter accusing him of rebellion and royal ambition. Nehemiah refuses the meetings and names the charge as fabrication intended to weaken the builders' hands. A second attempt comes through Shemaiah, whose warning sounds protective but would draw Nehemiah into conduct that could be used against him. Nehemiah identifies the prophecy as hired intimidation. The wall is then finished in fifty-two days, and surrounding opponents lose confidence when they recognize God's hand in the work. Yet the chapter refuses a clean victory scene. Tobiah remains connected to Judah through marriages, sworn loyalties, private letters, and advocates among the nobles. The masonry closes, but the correspondence keeps moving through it.

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