Thinking big of God does not mean becoming passive. Though the people of Israel did not have to fight Pharaoh’s army at the Red Sea, and though the Lord fought Israel’s battles in the Promised Land, the people nevertheless had a responsibility to be the tools the Lord was pleased to use (as the book of Joshua amply illustrated). So Nehemiah in the present passage tells the people also to fight,
confident that the Lord would give the strength and the victory.
14 And I looked and arose and said to the nobles and to the officials and to the rest of the people, “Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes.”