Sometimes God has to expose our struggles and issues to get our attention. Sometimes, as was the case with Nehemiah, the struggles and issues are negatively impacting the people who we love the most. For Nehemiah, living in a plush environment as the cupbearer to the king, his eyes were widely opened when he heard the current state of his “hometown.” Recognizing the embarrassment and danger that broken-down walls represented, he was filled with raw emotion. When’s the last time you were filled with emotion over a cause that “hit close to home?” Nehemiah felt powerful empathy for his fellow Jews who were discouraged, disillusioned, and in danger. Instead of simply feeling sorry for himself and his people, he decided to do something about it. He went first to the place that we should always go when in need of help – prayer! In humility, he admitted that his people had been unfaithful to God, and now they were paying the consequence for it. At the same time, he appealed to the loving mercy and grace of his God to “make a way” out of his people’s dire circumstances. Throughout his entire prayer, he focused on dependence on God for divine enablement. What he was about to do next, by approaching his king with his concern, was risky. Most of us would have been tempted to ignore what was happening 1,000 miles away in our hometown, but not Nehemiah! He had a burden! He had a passion! He was about to boldly act on that passion, no matter what it cost him! How about you and me? What kind of passion for the things of God are we pursuing? When’s the last time you boldly “acted out” for the testimony of Jesus Christ and the impact of those who need a Savior? Maybe, unlike Nehemiah, you are most like the Israelites who had been worshipping false gods. Maybe you have gotten yourself into a mess, and now the question is – what are you going to do to get yourself out of it? It’s time to rekindle a passion for what matters. It’s time to rethink how we have been living our lives. It’s time to refocus back to our sole purpose of bringing glory to God alone. Nehemiah had a passion for a noble cause. What’s your passion, and are you willing to act upon it while you can?
Posted in Devotional