When we look at society today compared with several decades ago, we can see many of the walls that once provided protection and stability quickly crumbling. Truth, morality, family, and other foundational pillars of society are being challenged or weakened. But what happens when a society loses the spiritual foundation that once helped hold those walls together? Spiritual Poverty! Can those walls be rebuilt? And, more importantly, will you help rebuild them?
Spiritual Poverty: What is happening?
Spiritual poverty occurs when people and societies turn away from God, reject His truth, and attempt to establish their own standards for how we should live. It acts as a slow, corrosive force.
Commentators, theologians, and cultural analysts frequently warn that when a civilization neglects its spiritual maintenance, it effectively crumbles the invisible structural walls that protect its most vital pillars: truth, morality, family, freedom, and justice.
God’s laws are for our good- they protect against spiritual poverty. Importantly, they establish healthy boundaries and protect us from many of the consequences that come from rejecting His design. He created us to fellowship with Him and walk in righteousness. When we do that, we are living within the healthy boundaries He established. These boundaries help protect us from much of the heartache and catastrophe Satan devises. But, when a nation turns away from the true God and becomes its own god, the Lord removes His protective hand and allows that nation to experience the world it has demanded.
What happens when a society turns away from God?
A prime example of spiritual poverty is the Soviet Union. In the years between 1920 and 1930, the Soviet Union launched an aggressive, state-sponsored antireligious campaign designed to eradicate faith and replace it with scientific materialism.
Marxism-Leninism viewed religion as an obstacle to progress, leading the state to deploy both cultural propaganda and legal force to sever the population’s ties to their traditions.
At that time, the Government used various egregious ways to completely eliminate religious belief and break down family values. For example:
- They backed a massive secular organization dedicated to mocking religious beliefs, spreading anti-religious propaganda and promoting atheism.
- Authorities demolished or repurposed thousands of churches, mosques and synagogues.
- The state executed, imprisoned, or exiled thousands of Christian priests, and other religious leaders to labor camps and religious education for children was strictly outlawed.
- They disrupted a traditional worship day which made it difficult to gather.
- Socialized child-rearing replaced the traditional family using state-run collective institutions.
A few more recent examples of these breakdowns in our Society:
- Prayer is banned from public schools deeming it unconstitional.
- Churches are closing their doors as people no longer see value in attending.
- Sunday shopping and sporting events occupy many people’s time on what was once a worship and family day. Hebrews 10:24-25
- Many children are being cared for in Government run child care centres as in most homes both parents work outside the home.
What Walls Are Crumbling?
Several of the walls that have begun to crumble are truth, morality, and family. Though God established His design for humanity, we rejected His design…and that rejection produces consequences which produce spiritual poverty.
To begin with, our culture’s understanding of truth has changed. Increasingly, people are encouraged to view truth as something personally determined rather than something grounded in an objective reality.
Truth is going through a major identity crisis says Turek and Hayes in their book, The War on Reality. They explain that many people have come to believe that everyone has their own truth, that there is no absolute truth. For most of history however, reality dictated what was true, which meant truth was simply that which corresponds to reality.
Morality: God designed marriage as a life-long, exclusive covenant between one man and one woman, and designated sexual intimacy to be enjoyed solely within that union. Marriage was instituted by God in Genesis 2:24. Therefore God alone has the right to declare what marriage is—and what it is not.
What happens when we reject God’s design?
Unfortunately, God’s design for marriage has declined significantly as sex has been decoupled from Marriage. There is now public acceptance of premarital sex, and cohabitation. This has resulted in a significant increase in children born outside of marriage. As well, according to Data from organizations like Gallup highlights that a large majority of the public now views sex between unmarried partners and non-marital childbearing as morally acceptable.
LGBTQ+ Identities: Same-sex relationships and same-sex marriage have achieved legal and widespread cultural legitimization in many parts of the world, transitioning from heavily stigmatized or illegal acts to broadly accepted social norms.
Very concerning is the Rise of Relational Pluralism: Concepts like consensual non-monogamy, polyamory, and relationship anarchy are increasingly visible and openly discussed as valid ethical choices rather than moral failings.
Fluidity and Self-Authorship: Gender and sexuality are viewed less as fixed binary 
categories and more as fluid spectrums. Authenticity—aligning one’s inner experience with external presentation—has emerged as a dominant moral narrative.
categories and more as fluid spectrums. Authenticity—aligning one’s inner experience with external presentation—has emerged as a dominant moral narrative.Family: Increasingly in the 21st century, Family structure has shifted away from the traditional nuclear model toward a wide variety of diverse and non-traditional living arrangements. These include single-parent families, childless couples by choice, cohabitation; common-law unions; same-sex family, LGBT families and others.
The result of broken spiritual walls is spiritual poverty in a nation.
Erwin Lutzer puts it this way:
The spiritual walls of the nation have nearly crumbled, leaving but a stony trace of a fortress that once upheld the nation’s founding ideals. As He did in Nehemiah’s day, the Lord might yet extend His mercy to rebuild those walls. But only to a repenting, praying and testifying people.
When a society rejects God’s truth, the effects don’t remain confined to individual beliefs. They begin to affect the foundations on which society is built.
What Can we Learn From Nehemiah?
Nehemiah began with prayer when praying over the broken walls of Jerusalem.
Specifically, he mourned, fasted and prayed as he worshipped God.
He confessed his sin, the sin of his family and the sin of his nation. Then he asks God to listen and reminds God of His promises. Nehemiah 1:8-11
Erwin W Lutzer points out to us that we face similarly desperate times, yet the church has largely quit the practice of consistent, deep, pleading corporate prayer. He asks a very important question:
“How desperate must the situation become before you begin a ministry of prayer in your church?”
In his article, “Our Spiritual Walls Must Be Rebuilt GOD WILL DO HIS WORK, WILL WE DO OURS?” Lutzer outlines further steps that Nehemiah took in the project and how these relate to our lives today.
Nehemiah invited other people to join him in the work, spiritual leaders, whole families in fact. He did not let opposition distract him and he worked to resolve injustice and conflicts.
What is the Church's responsibility?
God instituted three major types of building blocks to construct a healthy society. The first is family, which begins with the marriage of one man and one woman for life. The second is government, which must be simple and small to be effective. The third is the church, the Bride of Christ whose doctrine must come only from the Word of God.
From a biblical perspective, we are to be a community of believers who meet together to worship God, to listen and learn from His Word and to encourage one another in our faith walk. Furthermore, we are to share the good news of Jesus – the gospel – with others so that they will come to know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Matthew 28:19-20
After all, I think we can all agree that the world could do with more people being transformed by Jesus.
If you are a follower of Christ, you are the image of Christ to all the people you are caring for and encountering in your daily life. Lean into that.
Ultimately, Jesus wants us, His people, to tend to the spiritual wounds, the spiritual poverty that keeps people from experiencing profound peace and eternal life in Christ.
Where Does Rebuilding Begin?
Lutzer reminds us that the spiritual walls of the nation have nearly crumbled, leaving but a stony trace of a fortress that once upheld the nation’s founding ideals. As He did in Nehemiah’s day, the Lord might yet extend His mercy to rebuild those walls.
But only to a repenting, praying and testifying people. So there we have the answer as to where rebuilding ultimately begins.
Although this promise was given specifically to Israel, it reveals an important biblical principle: God calls His people to humble themselves, pray, seek Him, and turn from their sinful ways. 2 Chronicles 7:14 NET
If my people, who belong to me, humble themselves, pray, seek to please me, and repudiate (reject) their sinful practices, then I will respond] from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land.
Take note of the if and then in that verse. Our land needs spiritual healing and those who belong to God have a role to play in this healing.
Answered Prayer requires the following from us:
- humble ourselves,
- pray
- seek to please the Lord
- reject – turn away from our sinful practices
God burdened the heart of the Prophet Nehemiah to be the leader in the rebuilding of Jerusalem’s walls when he saw its ruins- destroyed by the Babylonians.
Is God burdening your heart for our nation’s spiritual poverty?
In his article, “Our Spiritual Walls Must Be Rebuilt GOD WILL DO HIS WORK, WILL WE DO OURS?” he outlines further steps that Nehemiah took in the project and how these relate to our lives today. (I encourage you to read this article in the link above.)
In closing, I repeat the question Lutzer asks:
God will do his work, will we do ours?
Prayer of Response
Our Faithful Heavenly Father, we thank you for Jesus who gave up His life to redeem ours. Father, we acknowledge our failure to follow you closely, to be obedient to your word. We confess our struggle every day to put you first, to teach our children your ways.
Your Word reminds us that if we humble ourselves, pray, seek you, turn from sin that our land will be healed. So Father, we remember Your promise and ask You to bring healing to our land. You alone provide salvation, peace, justice, healing, truth and meaning to this broken world.
God, we need the power of your Holy Spirit within us to be transformed so that we live like Christ.
So Father, we pray that you will revive our hearts, that they will be soft and our minds will be ready to receive your truth. Help us to impact our culture through prayer, transformed lives and action as you call us to.
We pray in Jesus’ strong and holy name, Amen
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Take a few minutes to pray and listen to this beautiful prayerful song -Humbled Heart – Sarah Kroger
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