Trouble and Shame

Nehemiah 1:3~ And they said to me, "The remnant here in the province who had survived the exile is in great trouble and shame. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates are destroyed by fire.

Nehemiah was the cupbearer to the king, asked about the group of exiles that had survived during the captivity of Babylon and what was reported back to him was they are not good. It has been 140 years since that time. Why are they not good? The wall is broken and the gates are destroyed. In verse 4 we see Nehemiah who mourned over the news and asked for forgiveness from the Lord.

We know that the wall of a city during this time served a big purpose in protection. If a city had a good wall and good strong gates then they would be able so protect the people in the city. He mourned because nothing in that amount of time has happened to build the protection of the city.

We as Christians also should have a strong wall and gates to protect us from falling into the enemies hands. Jerusalem had a wall but it was destroyed by a mighty enemy. We have a mighty enemy fighting against us and we need to be prepared every single day. God gave Jeruusalem in the hands of the enemy due to their complacency in their walks. We too can become complacent. We need to be aware that the devil prowls around like a roaring lion ( 1st Peter 5:8) This battle is not against flesh and blood but against the powers of darkness (Ephesians 6:12) May we mourn when our walls are corrupted and may we desire for them to be built up in the strength of the Lord.

God Bless,
PJ