Nehemiah 2: 4:2, 13-14
Nehemiah’s
sorrow was due to:
(i) The great affliction and reproach of the survivors who were left from captivity.
(ii) The broken-down of Jerusalem’s wall, and its gates burned with fire.
(i) The great affliction and reproach of the survivors who were left from captivity.
(ii) The broken-down of Jerusalem’s wall, and its gates burned with fire.
Sorrow
in my heart! The reason is because of the broken-down of walls around my life, family,
Judea, Jerusalem, nations, generation among others. The Lord wants this sorrow
to lead to repentance so that the old waste places can be rebuilt and restored
(Isaiah 58: 12; 2 Corinthians 7:10).This state cannot be taken for granted
any more, since we are not apathetic to it.
Can
God say I have been approved of this matter of rising to reconcile men back to
God? What exactly am I living for? To make money in the king’s palace like
Nehemiah and forget God’s people? Promotion in place of work until retirement or
old age. Lord have mercy on us. God wants us to approve ourselves in that we
are clear in this matter.
Nehemiah
was in captivity when the burden was laid on his heart by the Lord (Nehemiah 2:
12-16). God also wants to wrought His wonders in our days (Nehemiah 6:16). How desperate are we to bear the burden in
our days? What have I been so occupied with until now? Have I arose to see the depression in the hearts of men, the valley, the dungeon that the devil has put
souls of men?
Prayers:
Prayers:
- Father, don’t allow this time to pass me by Lord,
count me in. Whatever level I am in you, take me deeper still in bearing
Your burden. Let Your good hand rest on me. (Nehemiah 2: 18).
- I can’t continue this way, let me no longer take
chances, cause me to act (pray, study, speak, go) when I need to (Nehemiah
1: 5 – 11, 2: 3, 5, 7,9, 13- 6:4-5).
- Lord, please rid me of worldly sorrow in any
form. Give me only godly sorrow on this pilgrimage. Nehemiah was not
living a double standard life.
- Grant me a constant burden; a burden that can be sustained
until the broken walls (broken family, broken love for God, broken
relationship, broken children, broken nation) around my Jerusalem is
rebuilt; men are reconciled back to you; lives are restored. Lord, you
sustained the burden in the heart of Nehemiah, do the same to my heart.
- Lord, let pleasing You be my delight. Let me
indeed occupy for You in my family, profession, church, wherever you have
located me. May You find me occupied until You come. Nehemiah got occupied
for the Lord.
- Grant me Your help and grace to fortify myself
through your word, sacrifice (pray, fast), make an end in a day, revive
the stones out of the heaps of the rubbish which are burned. Bring comfort
to the weary, afflicted, oppressed etc. (Isaiah 58; Nehemiah 4: 2).
- Lord, please, make me quickly into that vessel of
gold – light enough to be carried or sent anywhere, any time, anyhow for
Your divine purpose to be accomplished in my generation. I don’t want to
be a vessel of wood, too heavy to carry or move on Your promptings.
- Lord strengthen our hands to build the broken
walls of lives, homes, church. We will arise like Nehemiah and other
labourers and build. Help us to man our portions and gates. We will
occupy our position. Help us to arise and build.
- By the help of Holy Spirit, make me an answer and
relief to my generation and generation beyond; comforting the weary,
healing the sick, rescuing the perishing, loosing bands of wickedness,
undo the heavy burdens, to set free the oppressed and afflicted, breaking
every yoke (Nehemiah 2: 17; Isaiah 58:6). Please let me live a sacrificial
life in fasting, in praying etc. until a change comes.
- Father, let my life, profession, everything I do,
be compatible with the new life I carry.
Nehemiah’s life and profession as a cup bearer in the king’s palace
was compatible with his desires and longing for God and His counsels. He
ensured the counsel of the Lord was established in Jerusalem again!
- Let me keep seeking, knocking and asking until
these broken lives, homes, families, nations around my life, generation,
Jerusalem, Judea and uttermost part of the world is built again in the
name of Jesus.
- Use me to set lives after their families with
their swords, their spears, and their bows. Please let me not deny my
generation all that they need for their deliverance in Jesus name
(Nehemiah 4:13-15).
- Everything that represents the Sanballat, Tobiah
in form of grieve, distractions, manipulations, Lord I hand them over to
You today. Disappoint all their craftiness, divinations, and enchantments.
Nehemiah focus was not on the distractors, He took his stand.
- Lord use me, use even me, just as Thou wilt
and when and where to reconcile, rebuild and restore souls and nations in
Jesus name.
