Nehemiah heard a report concerning the condition of Jerusalem and the Jews who still lived there:

“And they said to me, The remnant there in the province who escaped exile are in great trouble and reproach; the wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its [fortified] gates are destroyed by fire. When I heard this, I sat down and wept and mourned for days and fasted and prayed [constantly] before the God of heaven.” Nehemiah 1:3-4

Nehemiah wept because he heard about the suffering of others, he had a heart to provide hope to the hopeless. God gave him a burden and he acted on it. He saw others as Christ saw them, sick, needy, and brokenhearted, without intervention they would die. Jesus came to set the captives free, and to heal all who were sick and oppressed of the devil.

Isaiah 58 says we will find our own healing when we pour out to others what sustains us in our need. Whatever is at our disposal, whether it is physical or spiritual, we are to freely give to others. Then we become repairers of the breach. We become friends of God, having His heart towards the forgotten and the hopeless.

“The Lord will guide you continually, and satisfy your soul in drought, and strengthen your bones; You shall be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail. Those from among you shall build the old waste places; You shall raise up the foundations of many generations; and you shall be called the Repairer of the Breach, The Restorer of Streets to Dwell In.” Isaiah 58:11-12

This entry was posted on Friday, July 13th, 2007 at 12:43 pm and is filed under Devotionals. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.