Caring

Scripture Reading: Nehemiah 1:4

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…

The words Nehemiah heard that caused him such grief was the report that things were not going well for the exiles who had returned to Jerusalem from captivity. I find this extraordinary. It is an uncommon thing among us to care this deeply about people of circumstances so far removed from our own daily lives.

I have spoken to numerous people about various circumstances I have encountered overseas on the mission field to little effect. I’m not being critical of it. I understand it and have to confess the same lack of feeling or response to others plights myself.

I’m pointing it out to show how unusual Nehemiah’s reaction to this report was. It wasn’t the normal human way of taking news like this. Which is why I suspect it was more than the response of some oversensitive, emotional man. It was, I believe, the response of a man who had on his heart the kinds of things God had on His. He cared about the things God cared about.

And that is a rare person.

So, I pray that God would give me the kind of heart that can discern what is important to Him and care most deeply about that. Then, maybe like Nehemiah, I will be able to respond to a report from a distant land and a people removed from my daily life with his kind of genuine care and concern.