City Life Starter

Written by Aisha Darwesh

The Word

³ And they said to me, “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.”

⁴ So it was, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned for many days; I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven.

Nehemiah 1:3-4

Aisha’s Analysis

The book of Nehemiah opens with a grim status update on the state of Jerusalem and its survivors from captivity immediately followed by Nehemiah’s lament and intercession. This is a pivotal turning point in Nehemiah’s life and the future of Jerusalem. 

When I read the Old Testament, I see Jerusalem and the Temple as a symbol of the Church and the individual lives of believers. In the book of Nehemiah, Jerusalem was in shambles. This was a physical reflection of what can happen when one turns away from God. It’s usually in those instances of everything falling apart that we have a decision to make. We can either waste away in defeat or turn to God and start the difficult yet fruitful work of rebuilding. 

In this case, now that Nehemiah had learned of the condition of his people and city, he could no longer continue to do business as usual. He sat down and wept and mourned for many days. He fasted and prayed continuously before God. 

As the story progresses, we see that the state of Jerusalem’s broken walls affected him so deeply that even the king took notice of Nehemiah’s downtrodden face.  Although he was afraid, Nehemiah informed the king of Jerusalem’s dreadful state and requested the king’s help. This is ultimately what led the king to commission Nehemiah’s return to Jerusalem to rebuild its walls. 

What a beautiful picture of how godly repentance and prayer can open doors for us to carry out God’s purposes and plans. Prayer is a passionate partnership between God and man. It’s the primary way we communicate with God. I firmly believe that it was Nehemiah’s time in prayer that gave him the boldness to open up to the king and make such a daring request. 

This leads one to wonder: how could the trajectory of our lives change if we take time to examine the state of our spiritual life, pray before God, and make a commitment to build His Kingdom in the face of fierce opposition?

Application

Take a moment to seriously examine the state of your life. Are there areas in your life with broken down walls? In other words, is there any way you may have opened yourself up to an attack from the enemy? Ask the Lord to show you. 

Spend some time in prayer and fasting. Stay attuned to God to show you how to proceed. Then, make a firm commitment to live in obedience to Him regardless of any opposition you face. Remember, just because something is really hard to do does not mean that it’s not worth doing. In fact, that just may be a sign that it is. Trust God to partner with you and strengthen you in the work He’s calling you to do. 

Prayer

Father God, I want to thank You so deeply for not leaving me in a state of brokenness. You fortify my spirit with Your Spirit. You are my fortress and strong tower. In You alone, I take refuge. Shelter me in Your Presence. I want to live for You every moment. In Jesus’ name, amen.