Yesterday we found Nehemiah in the palace in Persia. We will see as time goes on in our study that the Lord had Nehemiah placed where he could make a difference concerning the problems in Jerusalem.
Nehemiah 1:3-4 says,
3And they said unto me, The remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach: the wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire.4And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven,
Nehemiah's brother tells him that things are not good in Jerusalem. This passage reminds me that "the steps of a righteous man are ordered of the Lord". Here is a man that as we will soon see had an important job in a large kingdom. He was in the palace , a place of luxury, and a place of influence. He grew up knowing that the God of Israel had plans to restore what was lost to them. Knowing all of this didn't mean he had to act. He could have excused himself of caring too much about the condition of his people's home land...after all he was a busy man and could have even reasoned within himself that his current position was too important to give up not just for himself, but for his people.
Think about this for a moment. We all have times when we have to discern if something we've learned about is meant to be our passion. Nehemiah knew within his heart that God wanted him to do something, but he wasn't sure what his role would be yet. He started at a place many skip altogether. Prayer and fasting. Some people would get stuck with the weeping and the mourning and go nowhere, some would shake off the weeping and mourning and go on about their business. Nehemiah determined to seek the wisdom and revelation of the Lord. He cast this great care upon the Lord and asked God to make clear what he was to do. I'm convinced we can do the same thing. We can cast the burden on Jesus and seek His council about what to do about what is presented to us in our everyday life. He can help us find our passion and make a positive difference in our world. Take time to pray and fast this week if even only a meal seeking His goals and passion for your life.
No comments:
Post a Comment