BAD NEWS IN HIGH PLACES

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Opening Prayer

Holy Lord, sometimes life is too fast for me. I want to slow down, develop a deep, vibrant spiritual life, touched by Your hand.

Read NEHEMIAH 1:1–11

^[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. ^[5] Then I said: “LORD, the God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and keep his commandments, ^[6] let your ear be attentive and your eyes open to hear the prayer your servant is praying before you day and night for your servants, the people of Israel. I confess the sins we Israelites, including myself and my father’s family, have committed against you. ^[7] We have acted very wickedly toward you. We have not obeyed the commands, decrees and laws you gave your servant Moses. ^[8] “Remember the instruction you gave your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations, ^[9] but if you return to me and obey my commands, then even if your exiled people are at the farthest horizon, I will gather them from there and bring them to the place I have chosen as a dwelling for my Name.’ ^[10] “They are your servants and your people, whom you redeemed by your great strength and your mighty hand. ^[11] Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of this your servant and to the prayer of your servants who delight in revering your name. Give your servant success today by granting him favor in the presence of this man.” I was cupbearer to the king.

Meditate

Bring your praise to the “Lord, the God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and keep his commandments” (Neh. 1:5).

Think Further

Listening to news is dangerous. In our media-saturated society, it feels like a constant torrent which streams morning, noon and night through television and tweets, radio and rumor. We learn to develop a filter mentality, lest we be paralyzed by information overload. We may feel it necessary for survival, but it can also deafen us to God’s call. It can harden our hearts.

As cupbearer to the Persian emperor, Nehemiah must have heard all sorts of news. After all, he was right at the center of influence. Artaxerxes, a king of vast power, regarded as semi-divine, trusted him utterly for his safety, from the wine he drank to the security of the royal apartment. His job would have involved keeping his ear to the ground. It also required meticulous handling of imperial confidences. Surrounded by sumptuous palaces and majestic gardens, in the highest of offices, it could have felt privileged and influential.

So what is it about this news from afar that reduces Nehemiah to tears? Why does he fast from the king’s lavish table? How do crumbled walls and a disappointed people get to him, when he must always have been hearing about ruin and suffering? It shows that, despite his pagan setting, his personal priority is to the God of heaven. Although he serves a Persian administration, he has not accommodated himself to it. He identifies primarily with the Jewish people, so all that he knows of this covenant God spills out in a heartfelt prayer shaped by the confessions of Moses and Daniel. This news grips him like nothing else and calls him to respond. It begins necessarily with waiting on God in prayer, worship and repentance; he pleads for guidance and divine mercy. The powerful official bows before the Lord of heaven and awaits his orders.

Apply

Do you grieve about the state of God’s people? In what ways does this passage show how you can respond?

Closing prayer

Lord, amid the constant bombardment of needs around me, help me to discern Your voice and Your call.

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