A burdened heart, continued

Yesterday, we saw that Nehemiah's heart was burdened for the people of Jerusalem, and the conditions there. He prayed, wept, and fasted, and waited on the Lord to give him peace before going to the king with his request to go and help.

Were you thinking ahead when you read that yesterday?
Wonder what Nehemiah will decide needs to be done first?
How will he accomplish the task?
Will he have a fund raiser? A bake sale or chariot wash? (Grin)
Will he re-organize? Name a new chairman and committee members?
Will he go in with a super-cool powerpoint presentation and extol some new methods of getting things done?
Ummmm, no.
Nehemiah was totally realistic.
He assessed the problem and quickly realized that the heart of the matter was not a lack of organization. It wasn't that they were using old technology. And though they did lack resources, the heart of the problem was not a lack of funding.
Ready?
The root of the problem was sin.
So we see Nehemiah praying:

...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. (Nehemiah 1:6-7, NIV)

Our Bible is clear that at the root of all personal, congregational, business, international, and global problems is one thing: sin.

What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? 2 You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight... (James 4:1-2a)

Friend deceives friend,    and no one speaks the truth.
They have taught their tongues to lie;    they weary themselves with sinning. (Jeremiah 9:5)

Why are there wars? Terrorist attacks? Disease?
Why are governments and countries riddled with corruption?
Why is the church not fulfilling its role in the world?
Why do we argue with our families and have trouble communicating?
Why do kids from Christian homes rebel?
Why is there an opioid crisis in our world today?
One word truthfully answers all of those questions . . . sin. Whatever the problem, the root can always be traced back to sin; whether it's the original sin of Adam and Eve, or if it's directly the sin of the people with the problem. If God is going to use us to help people in need, we need to remember that the root of the problem is sin.
But wait!
It's not just the sins of others that we need to be aware of. We also need to be aware of (and confess) our own sins. Nehemiah included himself in the prayer above. We don't need to sit in judgment of others, or fall prey to self-righteousness. We are sinners ourselves, and God has showed us mercy. We need to go to other sinners and tell them about that mercy we've experienced.  Are we trying to help believers? If they have been living for their own purposes, they need to confess that to God. Are we trying to help unbelievers? They need to repent and be reconciled to God. Nehemiah's prayer tells us all that.

His prayer also shows us that his great burden was relieved when he considered the greatness of God. Nehemiah started by addressing God as great and loving. He reminds God and himself of the promise to gather God's people together from being scattered. And we get the feeling he is reminding God that they are HIS people, too, as if he is relieved that an all-powerful God is responsible for them, not him, a mortal man!
Let's look again at chapter one:

 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, “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. (Nehemiah 1:5, 8-10, NIV)

God wants us to feel a burden for others, but then he wants us to remember that it's not our power, but His power, that will ultimately solve the problems!

Do we feel a burden for the lost? For God's people in need? Perhaps we've become so caught up in seeking the things that the world offers that we're not seeking first His kingdom. (Matthew 6:33) If that's the case, then we need to ask God to help us straighten out our priorities! Christ didn't die for us so that we could live the American dream, buy a huge motor home and check out all of the national parks (although there is nothing wrong with doing that).
It's the priorities we are talking about, here!
He saved us so that we can live as people who have the eyes and heart of Christ - seeing others' needs and having compassion for them (and it's perfectly possible to do that while motoring from park to park).
We are here to serve Him and bring Him glory.
Are we burdened for that service?

            We are fit for the work of God only when we have wept over it, prayed about it, and then are enabled by Him to tackle the job that needs to be done. (Alan Redpath)