Humans are often trapped in routines filled with the hustle and bustle of modern life. Rapidly developing technology and easy access to information can make us lulled into a world that seems perfect. However, behind the luxury and sophistication, there is actually a dark reality happening around us. Many people are fragile, oppressed, and suffering. Hunger, loneliness, and illness are daily struggles. How long are we going to stay silent and ignore this reality? Maybe the time will come when God will knock on the door of our hearts. As in the story that we want to reflect on at this time.
The story of Nehemiah begins with shocking news that came from afar, the news stirred a heart that had not felt something so deep about the promised land for a long time. The news of Jerusalem being destroyed, its walls collapsed, and its gates burned, suddenly woke Nehemiah from his comfortable place, in the luxurious Persian palace. How could a high official in the magnificent Persian kingdom, who lived in all comfort, care about a city that was 800 miles away and had long been destroyed?
Nehemiah did not simply feel pity or sympathy. He absorbed the news with every inch of his soul. “I sat down and wept,” he wrote. No other word could more deeply express Nehemiah’s concern for his homeland than pure sadness. The crumbling walls were not only a symbol of physical destruction, but also a sign of how the nation had lost its protection and honor.
Nehemiah responded to the bad news not with rashness, but with a wise act of prayer. In the midst of all the limitations and difficulties that existed, Nehemiah knew that only God could change the situation. In his prayer, he not only asked to be restored, but he first humbled himself, confessed the sins of the Israelites, and asked for God’s forgiveness. “…your servants, confessing all the sins that we the Israelites have committed against you. I and my father’s family have sinned” (verse 6). After praying humbly, Nehemiah reminded God of His promise to the Israelites, “But if you return to me and keep my commandments and do them, then even though your outcasts are in the uttermost parts of the heavens, I will gather them back and bring them to the place I have chosen to dwell there in my name.” (verse 9). Nehemiah knew that God is always faithful to His promises. So when he felt such a heavy burden, he did not only rely on his own strength, but on God’s unfailing promise.
Bible friends, today’s text invites us to see the world around us with eyes of love and concern. The collapsed Jerusalem is not only a symbol of the past, but also a reflection of the current condition of our world. Where there is damage, injustice, or suffering, God calls us to be involved in the restoration of the world. Not just to be observers. A big change can begin with a small first step, namely prayer and humility. From a heart that submits to Him, we gain new strength to fight and move in response to the situation that occurs. So when we hear the call, let us answer it with confidence that God will accompany and enable us. Like Nehemiah, we need not be afraid to take responsibility in restoring the broken, because we do it not by our own strength, but by God's great power.
