“…let Your ear be attentive and Your eyes open to hear the prayer of Your servant which I am praying before You now on behalf of the sons of Israel…” Nehemiah 1:6
I love, love, love the story of Nehemiah’s heart in the Bible! This man, a zealous Jew, loved His people and the land of his fathers, Jerusalem. He saw the sins of his own house and his nation, their rebellion against God. He saw the broken down state of Jerusalem; the Great Wall around this magnificent city broken down and in shambles, and he wept.
Tears come with the squeeze of my heart as I consider the rebellion of my own people and the condition of my country and the cities of this earth.
We, like the Babylonian empire who overtook the people of God and submitted them to a slave’s captivity, are a rebellious people, intent on having our own way.
Nehemiah’s prayer for restoration began with his own confession of brokenness and sin.
“…We have acted corruptly against You and have not kept Your commandments…” Nehemiah 1:7
Oh that I, O Lord, would remain in You, transparent and honest, submitted and waiting; that I would listen as You direct my steps and that I would find favor with You and man!
I pray that as we behold the sin of our fathers, of our families of our friends, of our enemies, of ourselves, that we would weep and pour out our hearts to God on behalf of the nations and of all peoples.
Amen! ❤️