Sorry I didn’t post yesterday. I did not have an internet connection. So I will post today instead.
Nehemiah 1 - The words of Nehemiah son of Hakaliah:
In the month of Kislev in the twentieth year, while I
was in the citadel of Susa, Hanani, one of my brothers, came from Judah with
some other men, and I questioned them about the Jewish remnant that had
survived the exile, and also about Jerusalem.
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. Then I said:
“Lord, the God of heaven, the great and awesome God,
who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and keep his
commandments, let your ear be attentive
and your eyes open to hear the prayer your servant is praying before you day
and night for your servants, the people of Israel. I confess the sins we
Israelites, including myself and my father’s family, have committed against
you. We have acted very wickedly toward
you. We have not obeyed the commands, decrees and laws you gave your servant
Moses.
“Remember the instruction you gave your servant Moses,
saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations, but if
you return to me and obey my commands, then even if your exiled people are at
the farthest horizon, I will gather them from there and bring them to the place
I have chosen as a dwelling for my Name.’
“They are your servants and your people, whom you
redeemed by your great strength and your mighty hand. Lord, let your ear be
attentive to the prayer of this your servant and to the prayer of your servants
who delight in revering your name. Give your servant success today by granting
him favor in the presence of this man.”
I was cupbearer to the king.
Nehemiah was among the Jewish exiles that served the
King of Persia. The King had allowed the
exiles to return to the Holy Land and even rebuild the Temple in
Jerusalem. Nehemiah had heard about all
these events but he had also heard reports about the crumbled and blackened
walls of Jerusalem that lay in shambles.
When he heard this, it broke his heart.
What he does next is so important.
He takes his broken heart to God in prayer. He fasted.
He sought guidance. And while it
is not explicit in the text, a vision begins to develop in his heart. He comes to realize that he can do something
about the situation that has broken his heart.
And he knows he will need divine help.
He continues in prayer by confessing the sins of his people and asking
for God to help him win the favor of the King he now serves as cupbearer.
What about what’s going on in the world around you at
night breaks your heart? As we’ll see
over the next few days of devotionals, Nehemiah decides to do something about
his broken heart. The Bible is full for
stories of people who didn’t just mourn the tragedies of their day. They believed that with God’s help, they
could do something. We are invited to
believe that as well.
So I ask you again;
what breaks your heart?
Prayer: God,
let us not be calloused to the suffering of the world for you have called us to
be part of your response to it. Show
each of us the things you have called us to do, Amen,
Prayer Focus:
Pray for the situations that break your heart today.
Song: Matthew
West – Do Something
