1: Nehemiah was cupbearer to the king. When he heard that the land of his people had been attacked and destroyed, he mourned and prayed.
2: The king noticed he was upset and inquired. Nehemiah explained that his forefather's city had been destroyed, and requested he be able to go to his forefather's home. God put a mission in Nehemiah's heart: He was going to rebuild Jerusalem. The king was gracious and allowed Nehemiah to go.
3: Jerusalem began to be repaired. People of all sorts gathered together to rebuild Jerusalem, and I mean all sorts of people. Jewelry makers, blacksmiths, tailors, all sorts of people.
4: The wall continued to be rebuilt, but they ran into people who wanted them to stop. Instead of getting discouraged by the enemy opposition, they prayed for help and stayed armed.
5: The government officials were taxing the people of Jerusalem so wrongly, that the people had to mortgage their fields and had to sell their children. So Nehemiah did something. He made the officials stop. And when Nehemiah himself became an official, he did not act in the despicable ways the others were acting, but instead focused on the wall.
6: Nehemiah's enemies kept trying to scare him off, but Nehemiah was not intimidated. The wall was finally finished and Nehemiah prayed throughout the entire ordeal.
7: God put a mission into Nehemiah's heart, and he didn't back down.
People from all sorts of roots and all sorts of professions joined together to do one thing: rebuild their city. Their city was dying and broken, yet they helped revive it. Nehemiah was an average person who managed to lead a group of revolutionaries. If Nehemiah could do that 3,000 or so years ago, how much more could we do that now?
Look at our cities. They are falling apart. They're dying, and we're doing hardly anything about it! It infuriates me, and it really should infuriate you, too. I want to change things. I want to rebuild the wall. Would you like to join me?
Bleeding Hearts
No comments:
Post a Comment