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The name Nehemiah means the Lord has comforted. Nehemiah was a cupbearer to King Artaxerxes. Warren Wiersbe describes that position of cup bearer as one of great responsibility and privilege. Nehemiah had the responsibility of taste testing the king’s wine to make sure it was not poisoned. Since he was that close to the king it is likely that Nehemiah was cultured, knowledgeable in court procedures, and handsome. He had to be able to converse with the king and advise him if he asked. Because of his access to the king this made him a man of great influence which he could choose to use for good or evil. Nehemiah was Jewish and he could have joined the remnant back in their land, but he chose to remain with the king in Susa. It was there that God had called him for such a time as this. Esther, who was also a Jew, also chose to stay at the side of a king in Susa for the purpose that God would have her fulfill. When God has a plan he strategically prepares and positions people in just the right place at just the right time so that His plan and purpose can be fulfilled.

Now comes the pivotal time in Nehemiah’s life when holy discontent is birthed. He runs into his brother Hanani, who just returned from Jerusalem, and asks him about the Jewish remnant that survived the exile. This I believe is where we often miss our opportunities. We often look for that grand calling from God, for the light show, for the neon lights of heaven to appear and a loud voice to trumpet our name. It was not that way at all for Nehemiah it was an ordinary day in the midst of an ordinary conversation with his brother when a seed of holy discontent was planted into Nehemiah’s spirit. What a reminder to keep our hearts open even in the ordinary for God’s providential leading. Time and time again God does the extraordinary in ordinary people on ordinary days. I wondered when reading this why Nehemiah would even ask about the people of Jerusalem. He was a cupbearer to the king, but that did not matter he was Nehemiah, the Lord has comforted, inside him dwelled caring and compassion that went beyond his earthly position or title. This caring and compassion was sewn into his DNA for such a time as this. It is out of holy discontent that purpose is birthed. Nehemiah was in mourning, prayer and fasting over this holy discontent allowing it to stir in his spirit. A burden had been placed on his heart for Jerusalem, one that he refused to ignore. The lesson, don’t ignore the things that break our hearts, but to allow it to break our hearts. Out of that pain we may be called for such a time as this. It is also a reminder that God calls his people to purpose for things that they have passion for. Christ did not come for those that are healthy He came for the troubled and disgraced just like the people of Jerusalem. He came for those who are broken, whose walls of protection have been torn down, whose gates have been burned, those that are ridiculed and attacked, just like Jerusalem. Here is the question: Does your heart break for those God has called you to serve? If it does than do not run from it or ignore it because if you do you could miss the blessing that God has planned for you. If the breaking of your heart causes you to weep like Nehemiah wept then know that those tears were planned by God it is His way of watering the seeds that He has planted in our path. Without the tears the seeds would not get watered, they would not grow, and fruit would not be produced. Nehemiah spent days fasting, weeping, and praying he knew that someone had to do something to rescue Jerusalem, and he was willing to go.

Besides the tears that Nehemiah shed it says that he prayed. The book of Nehemiah opens in prayer and closes in prayer. In this book alone there are 12 instances of prayer. This is an obvious and powerful statement of the importance of prayer. From the beginning of Nehemiah’s prayer in the first chapter he recognizes the awesome power and authority of God. He did not run to the king, but instead he bowed down and called on the one true King, the ultimate authority, the promise keeper, the one who loves His people. Then he confesses and repents of the sins of himself and his people. Nehemiah repented because he believed in God’s promise to forgive. In Nehemiah 1:8-9 he reminds God in of the promise he made to Moses, “If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations, but if you return to me and obey my commands, then even if you 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.” Nehemiah understood that God would hear his prayers and would be faithful to his promises. He knew that he could not rebuild Jerusalem, but he had faith that God would work on his behalf because God is a promise keeper. It was this faith in God’s promises that began to define Nehemiah as a leader. A leader is not only people who believe and obey and then courageously move ahead, but they also challenge others to go with them. You really can’t be a leader without followers and Nehemiah had the gift to challenge people to go with him. In reading the story of Nehemiah you can just see how God is preparing him and because of how he handles it he can do it with the blessing of God. Many times people plan a project and begin the project and then ask God to bless them and the project. Nehemiah first wept, the knelt down and prayed, and then he stood up and worked because he knew that he could not do it without God. It was during the time of prayer that Nehemiah began to understand what God was up to. Prayer keeps your heart and your head in balance so your holy discontent or burden does not make you impatient to run ahead of the Lord and ruin everything.