Nehemiah...A Man Who Cared To Ask

The Book of Nehemiah paints such a beautiful picture of what can happen when one godly man dares to care and to ask.  

Nehemiah, while he was an exiled Jew in the land of Babylon, lived a pretty comfortable life.  Sure, it was not his homeland, and by the questions he asks and the things he does, we see that his heart is truly in Jerusalem with his people.  But here in Babylon, he served as cupbearer to King Artaxerxes, a respectable and trustworthy position in daily contact with the king.  But, at the start of the book, we see him interact with his brother who had just recently returned from Jerusalem, and Nehemiah cares enough to initiate the question about how things are going there.  

Nehemiah 1:1-2 reads, "Now it happened in the month of Chislev, in the twentieth year, as I was in Susa the citadel, that Hanani, one of my brothers, came with certain men from Judah. And I asked them concerning the Jews who escaped, who had survived the exile, and concerning Jerusalem."  

And then, when his brother relays the devastating news that the city walls are still broken and Jerusalem lies in shameful ruins, defenseless to attack, Nehemiah's heart is sensitive enough to break.  

Nehemiah 1:4 tells us, "As soon as I heard these words I sat down and wept and mourned for days, and I continued fasting and praying before the God of heaven. "  

Such a beautiful and heartfelt prayer he  prays for his nation, but at first glance it seems very peculiar to me.  You see, when he is interceding for this nation, he essentially places himself as a part of it--its heritage naturally, but also its sin.  Like Daniel (Daniel 9), he doesn't stand at a distance and pray for "their" sin and "their" problems, but he immerses himself in the brokenness and shame and intercedes on behalf of his sinful people and his own sinful heart.  Even though he is not even in Jerusalem, he still prays (1:5-7),

"O Lord God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, let your ear be attentive and your eyes open, to hear the prayer of your servant that I now pray before you day and night for the people of Israel your servants, confessing the sins of the people of Israel, which WE have sinned against you. EVEN I and my father's house have sinned. WE have acted very corruptly against you and have not kept the commandments, the statutes, and the rules that you commanded your servant Moses." (emphases mine).

And then, after Nehemiah prays and intercedes and mourns, he dares to be obedient to the Lord and ACT.  With boldness, like we saw with Esther, he is forthright with King Artaxerxes and prayerfully asks permission to go and rebuild the broken wall of Jerusalem.  And, not only does the king grant him permission, but he gives him the supplies necessary and draws up papers that will serve to protect Nehemiah as he travels through foreign provinces on the way to Jerusalem.  So like Christ, we see Nehemiah give up the security and comfort of his kingdom position, with its lucrative pay and place of honor, and humbly involve himself with the brokenness of the world.

The rest of the book of Nehemiah gives account of him organizing the Jewish people to rebuild various sections of the wall closest to them, in the face of fierce mockery, ridicule, and physical threats severe enough to  warrant the carrying of weapons alongside their building tools (chapter 4).  And when Nehemiah establishes a continuous guard over the project (4:9), we once again see the same pattern that we did in chapter 1 when Nehemiah interacts with the king; he is obedient to advocate/intercede AND act, praying to God for protection from their enemy, but also putting into place the necessary surveillance to help ensure that protection.  And when the wall is finished in record time (months) and Nehemiah is appointed as governor, we see him continue to humbly serve and advocate for the people, stopping the oppression of the poor, and foregoing many of his rights as governor.

Nehemiah 5: 14-18 tells us, "Moreover, from the time that I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah,...twelve years, neither I nor my brothers ate the food allowance of the governor. The former governors who were before me laid heavy burdens on the people and took from them for their daily ration forty shekels of silver. Even their servants lorded it over the people. But I did not do so, because of the fear of God...Yet for all this I did not demand the food allowance of the governor, because the service was too heavy on this people.”

Nehemiah reveals to us the awesome work the Lord can accomplish through a faithful servant, who dared to care and ask...and allow his heart to break...and pray in intercession... and then act in obedience...advocating for the poor and foregoing his rights.  

How about you, dear friend?  Will you dare to join the conversation, to ask the difficult and uncomfortable questions about your community and the world at large, to care enough to allow your heart to be broken for the things that break God's, to pray on behalf of others, humbly confessing your own sin, and interceding for the needs both close and far from home, and then to act in humble obedience to what the Lord will show you?  Will you use your resources to advocate for the poor and forego your personal rights if necessary?  The Lord is at work--let us passionately and uninhibitedly join Him to see rebuilding, restoration, revival, and redemption occur around the globe!  Sometimes, all that is required is to be brave enough to ASK the question...and join the conversation...