Nehemiah 1
1 The words of Nehemiah son of Hakaliah:
In the month of Kislev in the twentieth year, while I was in the citadel of Susa, 2 Hanani, one of my brothers, came from Judah with some other men, and I questioned them about the Jewish remnant that had survived the exile, and also about Jerusalem. 3 They said to me, “Those who survived the exile and are back in the province are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire.” 4 When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven.
Jerusalem was at the very center of Israel's national identity in the 5th Century B.C. It was the the center of their nationality, their faith, and where God displayed His glory to them as His chosen people. Because of their disobedience, God removed His hand of protection and blessing and allowed them to be taken into captivity. The general thought was, "How could this happen to us?"
As the text indicates, some of the Jews survived the exile and remained in Jerusalem. It was a remnant, a small percentage of what once was a great and powerful nation.
Nehemiah sought news from Jerusalem. There was no Internet, no cable, no satellite news stations, no way to get breaking news from home. He relied on word of mouth from his brother and some men that came from that city. When Nehemiah heard the report of his beloved homeland, he wept.
What about our nation? Are we weeping over what once was? How do we restore our nation to be, "One nation, under God."?
It starts with us as individuals. Instead of pointing fingers and casting blame, lets look at how we, as individuals and as local churches, have contributed to the problems. Let’s have a season of prayer and fasting for our nation and our leaders of all levels of governments. Not just the first Thursday in May, but on a regular basis. Be part of the remnant that God has called to be the foundation of the next great spiritual awakening.
