尼希米的反应
尼希米记一章4至11节
4我听见这话，就坐下哭泣，悲哀几日，在天上的神面前禁食祈祷，说：
5耶和华─天上的神，大而可畏的神啊，你向爱你、守你诫命的人守约施慈爱。
6愿你睁眼看，侧耳听，你仆人昼夜在你面前为你众仆人以色列民的祈祷，承认我们以色列人向你所犯的罪；我与我父家都有罪了。
7我们向你所行的甚是邪恶，没有遵守你借着仆人摩西所吩咐的诫命、律例、典章。
8求你记念所吩咐你仆人摩西的话，说：你们若犯罪，我就把你们分散在万民中；
9但你们若归向我，谨守遵行我的诫命，你们被赶散的人虽在天涯，我也必从那里将他们招聚回来，带到我所选择立为我名的居所。
10这都是你的仆人、你的百姓，就是你用大力和大能的手所救赎的。
11主啊，求你侧耳听你仆人的祈祷，和喜爱敬畏你名众仆人的祈祷，使你仆人现今亨通，在王面前蒙恩。我是作王酒政的。
信息分享
当时的尼希米在朝廷身任要职。他是近身服侍王的其中一个大臣，甚得王的信任。他的意见，有时甚至可以影响王的决定。因此，他怎会舍得离开如此惬意的工作呢？
然而，尼希米知道耶路撒冷的境况后，便十分激动和伤心。但他没有立即跑到王的面前请辞。他先在神的面前安静祷告，寻求神的指引。尼希米在悲痛之余，在神面前流泪祷告，求神复兴耶路撒冷。他并且向神表示，神若要他参与这复兴的工作，他相信神必定为他开路。尼希米记余下的部分，便是记述神怎样应允他的祷告。他虽然面对很多障碍，但神最终仍带领他一一经过。尼希米的经历，对今天的基督徒领袖特别有所激励。
我们只能够从中汲取历史的教训？不，不是那么简单。试想想，在你的生命中，有没有任何地方是受到破坏，而有待修补的？我们要记着，我们的敌人撒但，最擅长找寻我们生命中的漏洞，然后再加以攻击。圣灵曾否提醒你：「你的生命中有某个地方是需要修补的，你准备如何去修补它呢？」
出现漏洞的，可能是那堵祷告的墙，也可能是那堵防止你沾染世俗的墙；你再不去修补它们，它们就会逐渐剥落和崩塌。过往，你可能还坚持己意，不愿意作出任何改变来修补你的墙；但今天，你是否愿意祈求圣灵亲自在你的心中动工，让祂帮助你重建那些失修的地方？圣灵正在等候你的回应，问题是你愿意吗？
经文反思：
「主啊，求你为我造清洁的心，使我里面重新有正直的灵。」(诗五十一10)
THE RESPONSE OF NEHEMIAH
Nehemiah 1:4-11
4 So it was, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned for many days; I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven.
5 And I said: “I pray, Lord God of heaven, O great and awesome God, You who keep Your covenant and mercy with those who love You and observe Your commandments,
6 please let Your ear be attentive and Your eyes open, that You may hear the prayer of Your servant which I pray before You now, day and night, for the children of Israel Your servants, and confess the sins of the children of Israel which we have sinned against You. Both my father’s house and I have sinned.
7 We have acted very corruptly against You, and have not kept the commandments, the statutes, nor the ordinances which You commanded Your servant Moses.
8 Remember, I pray, the word that You commanded Your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations;
9 but if you return to Me, and keep My commandments and do them, though some of you were cast out to the farthest part of the heavens, yet I will gather them from there, and bring them to the place which I have chosen as a dwelling for My name.’
10 Now these are Your servants and Your people, whom You have redeemed by Your great power, and by Your strong hand.
11 O Lord, I pray, please let Your ear be attentive to the prayer of Your servant, and to the prayer of Your servants who desire to fear Your name; and let Your servant prosper this day, I pray, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man.”
Message
He had a very responsible position in the king's palace. He was the most trusted servant and the closest to the king. He could easily influence decisions by the king if he wanted to in favour of those who wanted him to do so. So why leave?
But Nehemiah was deeply moved by what he had heard. However, he didn't rush immediately to the king and say, 'I am leaving right now'. He took time for prayer, for guidance, before he spoke to the king. Nehemiah's tears led him to pray that something might be done about the situation. If God wanted him to be part of the project, then God would open the way for him to do so. The rest of the book of Nehemiah is the story of how God answered that prayer. He faced many obstacles, but God carried him through them all. It is a thrilling story especially for Christian leaders today.
Is this only a history lesson? No, think about it. Are there walls in your life that have been broken down and need to be rebuilt? Remember our enemy, Satan, is a master at finding openings through which he can attack our lives. Has God the Holy Spirit been saying to you, 'There is something I want to rebuild in your life'? What are you doing about it?
It could be the wall of prayer that has been broken down. It could be the wall of separation from the world that you have allowed to crumble piece by piece. Maybe you are saying, 'I like things the way they are. I am not sure that I want to change.' Why not ask the Holy Spirit to do his own work in your heart beginning today? Let him help you rebuild those walls that are broken down? He is waiting. Are you willing?
A VERSE FOR TODAY:
'O Lord, create in me a clean heart and renew a right spirit within me.'