Day 5
And the
king said to me, “Why is your face sad,
seeing you are not sick? This is nothing but sadness of the heart.” Then I was
very much afraid.
Nehemiah
2:2
Nehemiah’s
burden for Jerusalem can no longer be hidden. In spite of his best efforts,
people around him are starting to notice that something is weighing him down.
Now, even the king has taken note, which could mean the death sentence for
Nehemiah due to the fact he was not allowed to be sad in the king’s presence.
In
chapter one we are told that in the month of Chislev Nehemiah had asked about
Jerusalem. We are also told that he found out the city was in ruins. In verse 4
of chapter one we are told that, upon hearing this news, Nehemiah began to
weep, mourn, fast, and pray. Now, we are told in chapter 2, that it is the
month of Nisan. Four months have passed. For four months Nehemiah had been
praying and seeking the face of God. As he has prayed, his burden for the city
has only grown.
Simply
put, what Nehemiah is dealing with is a God given burden. God has placed the
city of Jerusalem on Nehemiah’s heart and God has made it clear that Nehemiah
is going to play a key role in the restoration of the city. Though God has not
given Nehemiah any details, He has kept him in a place of brokenness so that Nehemiah
will continue to seek His face and pray.
Bearing
a God given burden is a unique thing. Your heart will simultaneously rejoice at
he movement of God and break over the burden it bears. The only way to explain
it is to say, it truly is a God thing. If you have never born a God given
burden, begin to pray today and ask God to break your heart for the things that
break His. If you have born a burden in the past, but your currently do not,
ask God for a fresh encounter with Him. I pray we will all know what it is to
have this sort of an encounter with the living God.
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