Nehemiah's Loving Grief

Read Nehemiah 1-3
 
Nehemiah 1:4-6 When I heard this, I sat down and wept. In fact, for days I mourned, fasted, and prayed to the God of heaven. 5 Then I said, “O LORD, God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps his covenant of unfailing love with those who love him and obey his commands, 6 listen to my prayer! Look down and see me praying night and day for your people Israel. I confess that we have sinned against you. Yes, even my own family and I have sinned!”
 
THE man Nehemiah is a very practical example of faithful God-inspired leadership. As Christians are called to lead in God’s kingdom, we can learn much from Nehemiah.
   The first thing we learn is that a proper grief can compel us to action. Are you grieved about some aspect of your own life, your family, your faith, your nation and/or your church? Would you like those circumstances to change? Then Nehemiah teaches you to first seek the LORD. Second, you must respond to what the LORD points you to do. Seek God’s wisdom. Go do what he tells you.
   For example, there are people who become politicians, business people, missionaries, soldiers, social workers, teachers, attorneys, nurses, engineers, farmers, etc. because they believe God is leading them to those vocations. They see their work as a means to respond to issues that grieve them. History records a great number of people who have helped improve the human condition, even changed cultures and worldviews, as they worked to solve poverty, slavery, hunger, disease and hard labor. Some of the world’s most effective companies, governments and ministries came about because some one person or a small group of people grieved the circumstances they witnessed. They understood some new efforts and means were needed to solve the issues. Then they did something about it.
   Nehemiah, cupbearer to a king, became an active, committed servant of God. Being a cupbearer to one of the world’s most powerful kings, as dangerous as that could be, did not qualify him to rebuild Jerusalem. But his love for God and his faith in God did.
   Read his humble prayer and pray it for yourself. See its confession, intercession and compassion. Read how Nehemiah specifically asked God to grant his desires and ease his grief in the will of God.
   Too often when something grieves us, we may say, “It is what it is.” Well, that could be true because no one does anything to change “it”. Maybe it’s time you did.