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.
