Great Trouble And Disgrace

I asked them about the Jews who had returned there from captivity and about how things were going in Jerusalem. They said to me, “Things are not going well for those who returned to the province of Judah. They are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem has been torn down, and the gates have been destroyed by fire.” When I heard this, I sat down and wept. In fact, for days I mourned, fasted, and prayed to the God of heaven. Nehemiah 1:2-4

NEHEMIAH’S HEART was broken by the things that break the heart of God, which is the mark of someone who truly knows and loves God. Nehemiah knew what to do and where to go with his broken heart. He turned to the one person who loved his people more than he did, who was more committed to the future of Jerusalem than he was, who had the power to deal with the “great trouble and disgrace” of his people. He began to pray. And he kept on praying.

Nehemiah was clear on whom he was praying to. He asked “the great and awesome God” (verse 5) to deal with the “great trouble.” This was not just any god. This was the God who “keeps his covenant of unfailing love with those who love him and obey his commands” (verse 5). This was the God who rescued his people with his “great power and strong hand” (verse 10). This was the God who had a long history of protecting and providing for them. Nehemiah didn’t come to him suggesting that his people deserved deliverance from their “great trouble and disgrace.” He asked God to give them what they did not deserve and had not earned. That’s grace. He asked God to be true to the promise to bring his people back to the Promised Land after exile.

Nehemiah shows us how to pray brokenhearted prayers for our kids when they are in great trouble and disgrace. We ask for grace, undeserved favor. We ask for God to prove true to the promises he has made. Prayer is not coming up with our list of what we think God ought to do and pressuring him to do it. Prayer is affirming God’s gracious and mighty character, which never changes, and asking him to be true to his Word, which he always is.

Lord, when someone I love is in great trouble and disgrace, I tend to fill my prayers with plans that I want you to put into action. Instead, Lord, I want to fill my prayers with your promises, calling on you to do what you have pledged to do in caring for your own. So Lord, please convict, please draw, please save, please renew.