“Just Because You are My Brother”
By Rev. Everett R. Kimble, Sr.
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. — Nehemiah 1:3, 4 (NLT)
Today, there is a lot of turmoil and hurt going on in the world around us and especially during this season, as children of God we should be able to see the needs and the pain of others through the eyes of God. He is looking at and for believers willing to make a difference in the difficult places of life even when we may be struggling ourselves.
Now is not the time for us to stand around and point out problems; instead, we must step forward in faith and follow God as he brings solutions through us. Not that He needs us to work it out, but His desire is for us to get in there and do the work willingly. He wants all of His children to care about the well-being of our brothers and sisters because caring for others is the manifestation of love.
I read somewhere that indifference is worse than hatred because with hate, at least you know you are not invisible. It is awful when someone feels their existence is not acknowledged, but it happens to too many of us every day. Feeling invisible will often cause children to purposefully get themselves into trouble just for the attention. Adults will go to great lengths to be seen because none of us really want to feel lonely and unnoticed. To combat the fatigue of being alone God had called us into a community to minister to one another.
If you are a child of God there is something inside of you that will not let you have your peace when you see people hurting and in need. But we have become comfortable with pain and lulled into watching and waiting, but that tug on your heart lingers long after the moment is gone. Nehemiah was in a comfortable place when he felt the tug. After hearing of the pain and destruction of his brothers, he could feel the call. He wanted to shake it off, but he couldn’t. The passage tells us that after hearing the news, Nehemiah first sat down and cried, and once he fought through the tears, he kneeled and prayed. Finally, with Gods direction, he got up and marched off to fulfill his mission. I don’t know what is tugging at your heart this morning, but here is where I would like to encourage you today.
It’s ok to cry, but don’t get lost in your sorrow. Pray! Prayer is always in order. Prayer is where God speaks the loudest. Then ultimately, you have to get up and set out to do everything God has called you to do. I am sure you may be a little afraid but do it scared, and you will soon get past the fear and step into your power and find your praise.
“15 So on October 2 the wall was finished—just fifty-two days after we had begun. 16 When our enemies and the surrounding nations heard about it, they were frightened and humiliated. They realized this work had been done with the help of our God.” (NLT)
Just like Nehemiah, God is with you to the end. Have a blessed and powerful Friday
