Nehemiah 1 - Passion

When was the last time you were moved to tears about something? Maybe it was from a tragedy in your family or a great disappointment. Maybe they were tears of joy or even tears of appreciation. Whatever they were from, can you remember them? What were the circumstances surrounding them? Ever notice that they always seem to include other people? Maybe they were tears shed for someone else or about someone else. That may not feel very profound, but it is. We are wired like this. To relate with passion.

“When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven.” – Nehemiah 1:4

In Nehemiah, we see a God given vision birthed through a passion for people. And when Nehemiah “heard”, he wept. He mourned. He fasted. And best of all, he prayed.

When was the last time you wept before God?

Yes, the God of the universe, when was the last time you wept before Him? I find that the things that I allow to stay surface and cordial do not move me to tears. The things that become rote to me do not move me to tears. The things in which I am prideful, I do not allow to move me to tears. It’s only the things that break me or make me gut-level thankful that move me to tears.

We can easily say, well, I’m not the kind of guy or girl that is like that. If that is me, I should then take on the tough journey of figuring out why not. If we’re all created in the image of God, if I’m truly thankful, broken, humbled before God, why not? I would argue that there is freedom found at the end of that journey.