Key Verse: Verse 4 - "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,”
Key Words: that I sat down and wept
Nehemiah was a great leader. As a matter of fact, each chapter of Nehemiah tells us of Nehemiah’s leadership characteristics. But in chapter one he was a great leader because he cared. He cared about the people of Jerusalem, verse 3. He cared about the condition of the walls at Jerusalem, verse 3; but he also cared about how Israel had offended God.
In chapter one, we see that Nehemiah cared enough to ask, verses 1 and 2. He cared enough to pray, verses 6 through 10. And he cared enough to weep, verse 4. Nehemiah cared!!
Author Leo Buscaglia once told about a contest he was asked to judge. The purpose of the contest was to find the most caring child; the winner was a four-year-old boy. His next door neighbor was an elderly gentleman who had recently lost his wife. Upon seeing the man cry, the little boy went into this gentleman’s yard, climbed into his lap and just sat there. When his mother asked him what he had said to the neighbor, the little boy said, “Nothing. I just helped him cry.” (The Story File).
Tears are a language God understands, and I have found most people understand the language of tears as well.
Dr. Mike Rouse
What to do:
✞Care about people, even those you battle with liking.
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