BE THE HERO IN A PIVOTAL MOMENT

The city was silent. The walls were broken. The gates were burned. And for years, the people of Jerusalem had learned to live among the ruins.

Then one man, hundreds of miles away, heard the news. His name was Nehemiah, and he

was a cupbearer to the king of Persia—a comfortable position in the world’s most powerful empire. But when Nehemiah heard that God’s city still lay in rubble, something in him broke.

He wept. He fasted. He prayed. And then, he acted.

Nehemiah acted even though he didn’t have a construction crew or an army behind him. Neither did he have political leverage or perfect timing. What he had was a burden from God, and the conviction that this was his moment to do something about it.

Here’s the thing about pivotal moments: they rarely come when life feels easy. They come when something inside you says, “This isn’t how it’s supposed to be,” and you realize that maybe, just maybe, God is asking you to step forward.

Nehemiah didn’t start with a blueprint. He started with a prayer. And when God opened a door, Nehemiah walked through it courageously, prayerfully, and with total dependence on God. What followed was one of the greatest rebuilding stories in Scripture. Against overwhelming odds, the walls of Jerusalem were restored in just 52 days.

But the real miracle wasn’t in the walls. It was in the people.

Nehemiah’s leadership awakened something long dormant in God’s people: a sense of purpose, unity, and hope. Families, tradesmen, and priests took up tools and worked side by side. They faced ridicule. They faced threats. Yet, with God’s strength, they pressed on. The broken became builders. The weary became warriors.

When I read Nehemiah’s story, I can’t help but think of the season Back to the Bible is in right now.

This has been a hard year. We’ve walked through financial strain, closed a long-standing program, and faced moments that could have undone us. But like Nehemiah, we’ve also sensed a holy stirring. God is calling us to rebuild. To rebuild not just what was, but what could be.

We see a generation hungry for truth. We see believers searching for a faith that feels real again. We see a world that’s lost its bearings and needs the steady, unchanging truth of Scripture.

And that’s why we’re stepping forward.

We’re introducing a podcast ecosystem with a flagship podcast, Spiritually Fit Today. Further, as we will discuss in December’s newsletter, we are launching a new initiative, the SALT Index, that measures what truly matters: real spiritual growth. And through our Global Discipleship Partnerships, we will be working alongside ministries around the world to help believers become strong, Scripture-rooted, and spiritually fit.

These are our walls to rebuild. This is our moment to stand in the gap.

I believe every one of us has a “Nehemiah moment” in life, a season when God whispers, “It’s time to build.” For some, that means restoring a relationship. For others, it means mentoring a younger believer or giving generously to fuel kingdom work. For all of us, it means saying yes when God calls us into the rubble.

Nehemiah’s story ends in triumph, but it’s not because he was extraordinary. It’s because he believed an extraordinary God could use ordinary people to do eternal work.

That’s true for us, as well.

When we bring our weakness, God brings His strength. When we bring our willingness, He brings His power. And when we step forward in faith, especially in times of crisis, He does far more than we could imagine.

Back to the Bible’s mission has always been about that kind of faith: helping people move from hearing God’s Word to living it out. As we rebuild and look ahead, I believe God is calling each of us—staff, supporters, and readers alike—to be heroes in this pivotal moment. Not the kind who seek glory, but the kind who carry hope.

Because when God’s people rise to rebuild, lives are changed.

And the story isn’t just about walls or podcasts or platforms. It’s about people. People who are rescued, restored, and renewed by the Word of God.

This is our moment to be part of that story. Let’s pick up our tools and get to work.