The cupbearer cared for his people

SCRIPTURE:

They said to me, “Those who survived the exile and are back in the province are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire.” When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven. Nehemiah 1:3-4

OBSERVATION:

In this study, we first want to focus on the prayer of the great wall-builder Nehemiah, who almost single-handedly took on the project to initiate and drive the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem which was so crucial for the re-establishment of the Jewish nation in the holy city of Jerusalem.

First looking at the situation, we see a sad state of affairs for the remnant of the exile who had made their way back to Jerusalem. They were in great trouble and disgrace, for the wall of Jerusalem had broken down and its gates burned by fire. This meant that those in the city were always vulnerable and exposed, subject at any moment to possible invasions by the enemy.

Upon hearing about this, Nehemiah, being an emotional man, began to sit down and weep. Continuing in this attitude of mourning, he continued to fast and pray before God.

From his reaction, we can see that Nehemiah cared deeply for his people. He empathized with them, and felt their fear, their hopelessness, their disgrace. He himself was in a comfortable position, being of high position in the king’s palace, but he was not only concerned for himself but also cared deeply for his people. And it was out of this heart of concern, that Nehemiah poured out his heart to God in prayer!

Our Lord Jesus calls us to “Love one another as He has loved us”. Would we be as concerned for our fellow believers who are in suffering and weakness? Could we love our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ just as Nehemiah loved his fellow Jews? Nehemiah had a burden for them which drove him to mourn and fast and pray for them.

In today’s society and culture, we have become increasingly self-centered and focused on our own self and immediate family. We find it too difficult, too inconvenient, too risky, to reach out and even start to think about fellow believers who may be suffering around us. We block our hearts from caring, for we feel we have too much to lose. Self-preservation is the order of the day, and we are driven to hoard and keep as much for ourselves as we can for a rainy day.

Our faith hence becomes just an outward show of minimum compliance to pass off as a good Christian. When push comes to shove, we just retreat back into our shell, and let the needy pass by. We excuse ourselves by saying we have too many needs and commitments of our own, that we are not millionaires or rich people with a lot of reserve.

APPLICATION:

Consider the heart of Nehemiah, a man in high and comfortable position who was willing to risk and forsake all that comfort to stoop down to a city in ruins to help his brothers there. On our own, we are selfish creatures and unwilling to help, but we need to start off with a desire to change, to begin to care more, to begin to want to reach out to those who are in need. Even if we have a little bit of that desire, start to pray that God will give us more and more compassion, to let our selfishness recede, and our love for His people increase. Keep praying that God will fan that flame of compassion in our heart, that we might start to feel and care for others like our Lord does.

PRAYER:

Heavenly Abba Father, precious Lord Jesus, You loved and cared so much for us, that You provided the way out that we might be saved. O Lord, Your heart hurts when Your children on earth suffer, while others with plenty do not lift a finger to help. Lord, forgive our complacency, our selfishness, our fear. Set our hearts free we pray to have hearts of compassion, to reach out and help others. Banish that self-preservation spirit from us, we pray, but help us to put our complete trust in You, that we will no longer fear, but move out to help others according to Your leading. We praise You and love You, Lord. In Jesus name, Amen.