Nehemiah 2:1-4; Psalm 137 – A Sad Heart
We can safely assume that for four or five months the situation in Jerusalem was at the forefront of Nehemiah’s thoughts and prayers. It seems clear that the burden upon his heart became more and more overwhelming as time went on, so much so, that he could no longer maintain a facade of cheerfulness as he went about his duties in the presence of the king. When the king noticed that his trusted advisor was so distressed that he was not able to hide it, he rightly diagnosed that Nehemiah’s problem was not physical, but was due to sadness of heart.
Nehemiah was not able to put the distressed state of the people of God out of his mind, as we do so easily when we hear of the low condition of much of the professing church of Christ. How often would our employers or friends or neighbours know by our faces how much we took to heart the decline and apostasy so evident in the church?
When the king enquired the reason for his sadness, Nehemiah was quite naturally afraid, for Eastern rulers of that period had an absolute power of life and death. Nehemiah’s fear however, did not prevent him from telling the king exactly what was in his heart. His reply is a model of respect and conciseness and left the king in no doubt about the problem that was weighing so heavily upon him. The way the king responded to Nehemiah’s concerns gives an indication of the regard that the king had for him. He could simply have treated the matter as something of no interest or importance, relating as it did to a foreign city and a strange religion, but instead he asks Nehemiah what it is that he wants the king to do.
What a great example of the truth of the Scripture that states, ‘The king’s heart is like channels of water in the hand of the Lord; He turns it wherever He wishes’.
Questions
- Why was Nehemiah sad?
- What did the king say to him?
Prayer Points
- Give thanks that God controls the hearts of men.
- Use prayer points from your congregation.
- Pray for family matters.