Day 1
"When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the the God of heaven." Neh 1:4 Having heard the report that "Those who survived the exile and are back in the province are in great trouble and disgrace" and that "The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire," Nehemiah is moved with his whole being and responds emotionally, physically and spiritually. He is moved with compassion (literally "with suffering"), the very opposite of apathy (literally "without suffering"). This compassion urges him to seek God on behalf of his people, his city and for himself. It is this compassion that will move Nehemiah to accomplish the seemingly impossible and experience true transformation. It is this compassion that brings heaven on earth, that brings sight to the blind and that groans with the Spirit to bring life where there is decay (see Mt 20:34; ...