Sermon Title: Ask Me If I Care
Hanani, one of my brothers, came to visit me with some other men who had just arrived from Judah. I asked them about the Jews who had returned there from captivity and about how things were going in Jerusalem. They said to me, “Things are not going well for those who returned to the province of Judah. They are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem has been torn down, and the gates have been destroyed by fire.” When I heard this, I sat down and wept. In fact, for days I mourned, fasted, and prayed to the God of heaven. Then I said, “O LORD, God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps his covenant of unfailing love with those who love him and obey his commands, listen to my prayer! Look down and see me praying night and day for your people Israel. I confess that we have sinned against you. Yes, even my own family and I have sinned! We have sinned terribly by not obeying the commands, decrees, and regulations that you gave us through your servant Moses. “Please remember what you told your servant Moses: ‘If you are unfaithful to me, I will scatter you among the nations. But if you return to me and obey my commands and live by them, then even if you are exiled to the ends of the earth, I will bring you back to the place I have chosen for my name to be honored.’ “The people you rescued by your great power and strong hand are your servants. O Lord, please hear my prayer! Listen to the prayers of those of us who delight in honoring you. Please grant me success today by making the king favorable to me. Put it into his heart to be kind to me.” In those days I was the king’s cup-bearer.
“Who cares?” This attitude is often expressed in the actions of individuals who are busy with the events and circumstances of their own lives to “care” about other people. “I’m too busy to take time for someone else,” their thinking goes, so they don’t take time to care about the needs of the people around them. Because they have this attitude, they miss opportunities to be a blessing to others and to participate in God’s work. As a result, they miss blessing after blessing, and ultimately fail to find their true purpose for their lives: to live for others.
Nehemiah did not have this attitude. Instead, he displayed the exact opposite behavior: he passionately cared for others. He, too, was busy, and his life was filled with great responsibility, wealth and power. And yet he took time to greatly care for those who were in desperate need. By showing such compassion for others, he demonstrates to us what following God looks like: a life lived for others.
This coming Sunday we will talk more about what it means to care for others as we begin the sermon series, “Nehemiah: The Man That Followed God.” Hope to see you then!
