Hardwick
I don’t know about you, but every time I open a social media app, scan news headlines, or watch a news channel, I feel an ache in my heart, a pit in my stomach and a burden in my soul.
Bad news. Tragic events. Vitriolic debate. Threats and predictions of more to come. And it seemingly never ends. Recently, as I scanned a newspaper and felt all these emotions, I had a thought — “I wonder if this is a little bit what Nehemiah felt when he got that bad report about the status of Jerusalem?”
You know Nehemiah’s story. While serving as cupbearer to King Artaxerxes, he was worried about Jerusalem. He received a terrible report from his brother. The people are downcast, the city is in shambles, and the walls and gates are on fire. The place and people meant to be a beacon for the glory of God were far from it.
Nehemiah was heartbroken. So much so that he mourned, wept, fasted and prayed for days that turned to weeks that turned to months. As he prayed and fasted, he planned so that when the opportunity popped up, he was ready to step up and lead the way in the rebuilding of the city and the rebuilding of the people to the glory of God.
There is much we can learn from the beginning of Nehemiah’s story that will help us not just deal with emotions, but also lead as the people of God in the chaos and brokenness of the world around us. Three observations stand out:
First, we see a broken people. To be a downcast people carrying on in a burned down city was among the lowest positions a people could find themselves. The people of Jerusalem are returning in waves from their justified exile following their continued rebellion against God. Yet God kept His promise to bring them home, but the home they returned to was far from the home they left.
Instead of being a beacon for the glory of God, they were mocked and jeered by the surrounding pagan nations. They needed rebuilding. They needed revival.
You don’t have to be a theologian or a scholar to see the vast spiritual brokenness all around us. If you watched the opening ceremony of the Olympics, you saw it broadcast to the world.
The demonic, arrogant mocking of the Last Supper was not just a perversion of that event, but of all of God’s truth. Spiritual brokenness is all around us — from Tennessee to the nations, people need Jesus and we as His people need His reviving touch.
Then, we see a burdened leader. Upon hearing the tragic and terrible news, notice what Nehemiah did first — he prayed. And this wasn’t just a brief, under his breath type prayer. He fell to his knees weeping, mourning, fasting and praying day and night for several months. He was burdened over the brokenness of his people.
Burden is related to discomfort. Something that creates discomfort is usually passing and temporal. A burden is different. It transcends time and stays with you. You feel it. You think about it. It’s emotional. It’s expressed.
For Nehemiah, his burden was far from a temporary discomfort. It became the driver of his future as he cried out to God day and night in response to the brokenness of the people.
And finally, we see a bold prayer. The better part of Nehemiah 1 is a lengthy prayer written as one that was indicative of how Nehemiah prayed day and night for months. His prayer followed a similar pattern to the prayer Jesus taught us to pray as Nehemiah worshiped the Lord, confessed sin, expressed his confidence in the faithfulness of God and called on God to move on behalf of His people.
Nehemiah teaches us that prayer should be our first response, not our last resort. Prayer is the expression of the burden. Prayer is our means of calling on God. He has invited us to pray at all times and to pray about everything. Even when we are so burdened and broken that we cannot make a sound or utter a word, He promises the Holy Spirit will cry out on our behalf.
I think we see in Nehemiah’s example what we need now — burdened leaders, praying bold prayers, on behalf of broken people.
What might God do if we as followers of Jesus gave ourselves to this type of response? Might we see the revival and restoration Nehemiah saw? We need it. And I believe Nehemiah’s example gives us the place to start.
Tennessee Baptists, let’s be burdened leaders, praying bold prayers, on behalf of broken people trusting God to move mightily on our behalf. B&R
