A heart for others

“When I heard this, I sat down and wept. In fact, for days I mourned, fasted, and prayed to the God of heaven”. (Nehemiah 1:4, NLT) 

“The city of Jerusalem is in ruins and those living in it are in great distress”. These were the words of Hanani, one of the brothers of Nehemiah, accompanied by other men who had just returned from Judah. Obviously, they bore no good news, the state of things in the destroyed city of Jerusalem was pathetic. One would feel sorry for the people living in a city without walls, but Nehemiah’s immediate reaction was extreme. He didn’t just feel bad for Jerusalem and its people; he began to weep, mourn, fast and pray. 

We might think that a prominent man like Nehemiah had more important things to think about than a distant city he had never been to, and people he was a stranger to. Yet, because his heart was for the things of God, his heart was not for himself, but for others. 

God was going to use Nehemiah to do something about this situation. But first God did something in Nehemiah, He gave him a heart curious about the welfare of others. 

God has strategically placed us in our workplaces or places of study to demonstrate His love by giving us a heart that cares about others. What will you do with that heart today? 

Prayer 

Dear Lord, help me find ways to display your love to others today. Amen