Crying Over Broken Walls
Lately, I’ve been drawn to the book of Nehemiah again. There’s something about it that calls to me, and each time I study it, I see something I didn’t notice before. This time was no different.
The words of Nehemiah the son of Hachaliah. And it came to pass in the month Chisleu, in the twentieth year, as I was in Shushan the palace, That Hanani, one of my brethren, came, he and certain men of Judah; and I asked them concerning the Jews that had escaped, which were left of the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem. And they said unto me, The remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach: the wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire. And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven, - Nehemiah 1:1-4
At the beginning of the book, Nehemiah gets some grave news: the people that returned to Jerusalem were afflicted, and the city wall was in ruins. Keep in mind that the purpose of the wall was to protect the inhabitants from enemies. No wall meant no protection. The people were already weak and weary. It wouldn’t take much for an invading army to come in and enslave them again or wipe them out completely. This wasn’t a matter of aesthetics; it was a matter of survival.
Now, notice Nehemiah’s reaction to the news. He wept, mourned, fasted, and prayed. Upon hearing these sad tidings, this was his default response. Weep. Mourn. Fast. Pray.
What about us? How do we handle the news of broken things? For Nehemiah, it was a broken wall. For us, it could be a broken heart, broken dreams, broken relationships, broken promises, and any other number of things. When we face brokenness in our lives, what is our default response?
Like Nehemiah, I think most of us can relate to the weeping and mourning part. That is typically an immediate and involuntary reaction for me, and that’s okay. Crying is fine. Remember, even Jesus wept.
The trouble is, most of us tend to stop at the weeping and mourning, then feel frustrated when the pain won’t go away or the situation won’t resolve itself. We stop short of fasting and praying.
Now, I understand fasting is one of those things that can be confusing and even controversial. But, I assure you, it is Biblical. A fast is giving up something important to you for a specific time. And its purpose is to display to God (and yourself) just how serious you are about the thing for which you are praying.
Fasting doesn’t have to be about food, especially if you—like me—don’t skip meals well. It can be anything. Television. Social media. Technology, period. News. Outings. Sports. Or anything else that means a lot to you.
Once you’ve decided what to give up and how long, use the time you would usually indulge in that activity to pray or read God’s Word instead. Fasting reinforces how passionate we are about the matter on our hearts and focuses our minds on the thing we’re burdened about.
Fasting and praying go hand in hand, but you don’t have to fast to pray. You can pray any time of the day about anything. God wants to hear from you. And, yes, He’ll even listen to you cry over the broken things in your life. By sharing your heart with God, you’re inviting Him to work on your behalf. You may not have the power to fix the broken things in your life, but God does! So, ask. Don’t be afraid. He wants to help you. He wants to fix what’s broken. You just need to talk to Him about it.
James 4:2 tells us, “Ye have not, because ye ask not.” When the broken things in Nehemiah’s life drove him to despair, he did more than cry about it. He sought the power of the only One who could truly do something about the situation. He pleaded for mercy, forgiveness, power, and favor. And you know what? God answered. Not only was Nehemiah able to spearhead a rebuilding project, but he and his crew—despite many attempts by the enemy to hinder them—rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem in a mere 52 days. That, my friends, is the power of prayer, and it’s available to us today.
Are you crying over broken things in your life? Okay. Have a good cry. Snot it up really good. But don’t stop there. Fast. Pray. Get serious with God, and He’ll get serious with you. From there, the sky’s the limit. . .and even beyond.