Grief Before Strategy
Nehemiah 1:4; Joel 2:12-13
Nehemiah has received terrible news about God’s city and God’s people. According to the Scriptures, he responds, “As soon as I heard these words I sat down and wept and mourned for days, and I continued fasting and praying before the God of Heaven.” Let’s think together about this critical moment in the history of God’s chosen people and the way of His servant Nehemiah.
It is apparent that Nehemiah experiences heartache and sudden grief from the news of Jerusalem. His awareness of the tragic situation facing God’s people sends him into an immediate posture of grieving. His reaction is diverse and spiritually instructive to us. He first sits down. He pauses and begins a pursuit of God by calming himself, not moving his hands or rushing his feet, but slowing his mind to reach out to God who must be found and pleaded with. His reaction indicates an understanding of God’s power and concern.
Secondly, Nehemiah weeps. It reminds me of Jesus, the One who wept over human losses and spiritual coldness. This weeping goes on for days, and I can picture Nehemiah in the dust before God, alone, brokenhearted, crying out with sobs of pain. This was real grief, experienced by God’s chosen leader, that does not deny or resist the inward pain but expresses it thoroughly.
The text says Nehemiah mourned for days. How long this “valley season” was is uncertain. We see a man who knew where he could go and how to go in his pain. He dealt realistically with his inner angst, running only to God—the God of all comfort. The God who says, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted” (Matthew 5:4). He runs to the God who promises a future where there will be no more mourning (Revelation 21:4).
Our lives are certain to experience valley seasons. I have prayed, “Lord, break my heart for what breaks Yours.” I continue to want that intimacy with my Heavenly Father. We see this reality in Nehemiah. He knew of God’s great love for His people. His grief is a shared grief, real and engaged beautifully.
Nehemiah does take action, but his reaction displays spiritual understanding. He knows of the patriarchs who found solutions for their many difficulties by seeking the Lord through prayer and fasting. He knew that desperate praying is required in desperate times. He knew that fasting and prayer had often brought God’s Presence in magnificent ways. He knew that a Divine interruption could and would make all the difference. So we ponder his reaction. We look at our lives and ask examining questions. We know that He declared, “You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the Lord” (Jeremiah 29:13-14).
Let’s consider some precious promises from David, a man who was known to be after God’s own heart. David declares, “When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. The Lord is near the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers them out of them all” (Psalm 34:17-19).
We know Jesus wept. We know Jesus fasted. We know Jesus prayed. We know Jesus grieved. I want to be like Him. Nehemiah preceded Jesus in history, but not in character, for God is the most compassionate lover of our souls.
Question to Consider
Do I practice this sacred process of seeking God with my whole heart?
Prayer Prompt
Lord, make me into the likeness of Your Son, Jesus.
