MESSAGES
As a law enforcement officer and firefighter you often deal with men and women who have an "I don't care" attitude. They don't care about what is right and what is wrong. They don't care about you, me, or other people. They don't care about their family. They don't care about their work. And the list can go on and on.
After awhile, if we're not careful, we ourselves can begin to have the same, "I don't care" attitude. I don't care if she overdosed. I don't care that he was kill by a rival gang. I don't care that he committed suicide. I don't care that that pedophile was murdered while imprisoned, etc.
God wants us to be men and women who care. He wants us to care about ourselves, about others, and most of all, about Him. Are we a person who cares?
I want to focus in on an individual who cared very much for his people, for his country, and most importantly for his God. His name is Nehemiah, and he was responsible for the rebuilding of the wall around Jerusalem. He was a man who made a difference in the lives of those he touched, all because he was a man who cared. As we read his story, we see him approached by one of his brothers, who had just returned from Jerusalem
Nehemiah cared enough to ask how the condition of the Jews and the walls of Jerusalem were (1:2). He cared enough to ask how his people were and how the city that had been in ruin was. Why the walls? The walls were a reflection of the lives of the people. Without the walls around the city there was no security for the people, and therefore they were vulnerable to attack. What about us? When we hear about broken lives and fractured families, do we care enough to ask? Do we ask, "How's it going? Is there anything I can help you with? Do you want to talk about it?" Nehemiah was willing to ask questions. What about us?
Nehemiah had a very prominent and important position. He could have stayed where he was enjoying the benefits of it, and yet he was a man who cared enough about others to ask, "How are things going?" When he asked the question, the news he received wasn't good, "The survivors who are left from the captivity in the province are there in great distress and reproach. The wall of Jerusalem is also broken down, and its gates are burned with fire" (1:3). What once was a land inhabited by a great nation was now a land inhabited by a remnant of people. What once was a great wall was now a pile of ruin. Where there had once been great glory, there was now great reproach. When we see people whose lives are in ruin do we care enough to ask them how things are?
We see also that Nehemiah cared enough to weep, "So it was when I heard these words that I sat down and wept, and mourned for many days" (1:4). The broken walls of Jerusalem revealed the broken lives of the Jew and brought about a broken heart for Nehemiah. Sadly, for many people crying is a sign of weakness, but that's not always the case. It's a sign of caring. We should never be afraid to cry because we care.
Nehemiah also cared enough to pray. He was deeply grieved about the condition of Jerusalem, but he didn't just brood about it. He knew there was much work to do, but he also knew what needed to be done first. Nehemiah said, "I was fasting and praying before the God in heaven" (1:4-5). Nehemiah knew the importance of prayer. He knew that if the work was going to be accomplished it had to be presented to the right person. Therefore, he didn't go immediately to king Artaxerxes, but rather he takes his problem directly to God. God wasn't his last resort. God was his first resort. Even though the king was a great and mighty man, compared to God he was nothing. We need to be following the example of Nehemiah by being men and women who care enough to pray.
Nehemiah prays, "Lord God of heaven, O great and awesome God, You who keep Your covenant and mercy with those who love You and observe Your commandments . . ." (1:5). Nehemiah is reminding God that He keeps His word. We must remember that God will never go back on His word for He cannot deny Himself.
Nehemiah further reminds God of His promise, "Remember, I pray, the word that You commanded Your servant Moses, saying, 'If you are unfaithful I will scatter you among the nations; But if you return to Me, and keep My commandments and do them, though some of you were cast out to the farthest part of the heavens, yet I will gather them from there, and bring them to the place which I have chosen as a dwelling for My name" (1:8-9). Nehemiah was essentially saying, "Lord, the first part is true. We've blown it. We've disobeyed and we're in captivity. But Lord, You made a promise to bring us back into the city and protect us. That hasn't happened yet. I'm reminding You of Your promise."
Nehemiah goes on to show a confidence in his prayer, "Now these are Your servants and Your people, whom You have redeemed by Your great power, and by Your strong hand. O Lord, I pray, please let Your ear be attentive to the prayer of Your servant, and to the prayer of Your servants who desire to fear Your name; and let Your servants prosper this day . . ." (1:10-11). Nehemiah knew that God is able to see His people's needs, hear his people's prayers, and work on their behalf with His mighty hand. He knew that the work was too much for Himself, but not for God. He knew that nothing would happen unless he had the approval of the king, yet he was confident that God would work in the heart of the king (Proverbs 21:1). He didn't know how God would change the king's heart, but he knew God would change his heart. Therefore, he left the matter entirely in Gods hands.
We need to do the same. We need to give everything over to the Lord. Often times what we tend to do is first plan our own projects, and then ask God to bless them. Nehemiah didn't make that mistake. Why? Because he was a man who cared. He cared enough to ask. He cared enough to weep. He cared enough to pray.
As you read the rest of the book you see that Nehemiah cared enough to act. In order for God to accomplish His work He uses people, and the people He usually uses first are those who care. Nehemiah was a man who cared enough to volunteer for the work himself. He was willing to set aside his personal pleasures, comfort and security within the palace walls. He was willing to take on the harsh reality and dangers of a city that was in ruin. He was willing to leave behind the ease of the palace in order to do the work that God was calling him to do. He was willing to give up his comfortable bed for a sleeping bag. He was willing to give up prestige for ridicule. He was willing to put up with all this in order to go and encourage a beaten people and to finish what would be considered an impossible task. He did it all because he cared.
God is still looking for people who care. Are we one of them? When we see something that needs to be done are we willing to ask about it? Do we weep over the need? Do we pray for God's help? Do we volunteer to get the job done? Let us always be men and women who care.
God bless you,
Pastor Steve |
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