Nehemiah 1:8-10 - "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.
Nehemiah was one of the exiles to Babylon that chose to stay
in his comfortable job. He was the cup
bearer to the king…in charge of tasting everything the king was given to eat
and drink…to ensure it was not tainted or spoiled in some way. It was an
important job…that allowed him to live in the Palace…comfortable and well taken
care of.
But one day some of his friends came to visit…and told him
of the state of the wall that once surrounded the great city of Jerusalem.
Nehemiah’s heart was instantly burdened for his friends…his family…the remnant
of Judah that had chosen to return home and rebuild the Temple. He stopped everything…began to fast….and pray
to God for direction. His heart
remembered the prayer of Moses in Leviticus 26:33….and he quoted it boldly as
he knelt before the Lord.
Nehemiah went one step further….and lifted his eyes from the
sadness he felt. He allowed God to
exchange the sadness with a purpose to change what had burdened him. He rose
with boldness to seek the permission of his king…to return to his people…and be
in charge of rebuilding the wall of protection that had given the Israelites
such strength and confidence. Nehemiah allowed God to transform his sadness
from the burden he felt…into an energy and passion to complete the work God had
called him to do.
What a great model for all of us who tend to focus too long
on the problem. We lift up a burden to
God night after night in our prayers….never stopping to think that God might
have plans to use us to change it. We
need to pray the way Nehemiah did…and allow God to reveal the resources he has
placed in our hands to begin to fix the problem we have been burdened about. We
need to look past the sadness and pain of the problem…to the joy that will come
when God reveals his purpose and answer. Then we need to go one more step…and become
part of the answer.
Father…I thank you for the reminder that no problem in our
world is new to you. Thank you for the
many people you have burdened to pray for just one of these troubles ….thank
you for the many prayers they have offered to ask you to intervene like
Nehemiah did. Help me to take the time
to pray like Nehemiah…and lift up the pain I see in others…as well as the pains
of my own heart. Help me to open my eyes to see the resources you have placed
in my hands to change one of the many things that people struggle with each
day. Help me to put my compassion in
prayer to the next level…and begin to use my time to transform my prayer of
intervention into a passion to change the world…one problem at a time. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment