An out-of-town driver swerved into a ditch in a desolated area. Luckily, a local farmer came to help with his big strong horse named Buddy. He hitched Buddy up to the car and yelled, “Pull, Nellie, pull!” Buddy didn’t move. Then the farmer hollered, “Pull, Buster, pull!” Buddy didn’t respond. Once more the farmer commanded, “Pull, Coco, pull!” Nothing. Then the farmer nonchalantly said, “Pull, Buddy, pull!” And the horse easily dragged the car out of the ditch. The motorist was most appreciative and very curious. He asked the farmer why he called his horse by the wrong name three times. “Well, Buddy is blind and if he thought he was the only one pulling, he wouldn’t even try!”

     What could you accomplish if you knew you had a team of horses beside you? Zerubbabel is one who discovered that by having a strong advocate by his side, mountains could be leveled. Goals that once seemed impossible become attainable.

     Zerubbabel was a Jew who returned to Jerusalem several decades after the great city had been destroyed by the Babylonian army. Zerubbabel found the Jewish capital to be a mountain of rubble. Zerubbabel’s task was to clear the debris and rebuild God’s Temple with only a handful of workers.

     The task seemed daunting. Yet God assured Zerubbabel that he wasn’t alone, nor was he being asked by God to manage the looming project by himself. “Not by your might or power alone,” God declared would the Temple be re-established. “But together with my Spirit, we will restore my magnificent Home.”

     I don’t care much for doing chores around the house. The assignment feels overwhelming to me. However, when my wife, Cathy, joins me in finishing the laundry, cleaning the house, and rinsing the dishes, the endeavor is much less burdensome.

     Researchers have discovered that just the sense of working together with others can dramatically increase our motivation to complete difficult tasks—even when we’re actually working alone. One study reported that when individuals realized they were not working on a complicated puzzle by themselves, they worked forty-eight percent longer than those who believed they were working alone.

     Likewise, those who believe that God is laboring alongside them increase their sense of motivation, courage, and resilience. Though we may often be blinded to God’s presence, God assures us that His Spirit is working in tandem with us to complete the responsibilities for which He calls us.

     So, keep pulling Nellie. Keep pulling Buster. Keep pulling Coco. In the words of Larry the Cable Guy, with God’s help, you can get ‘r done.