“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,” (Nehemiah 1:4, KJV)
The mission project placed before Nehemiah was clearly obvious: he was called to rebuild the ruined city of Jerusalem. Yet, when we consider his life up to this point, the magnitude of this calling becomes even more striking. Nehemiah was part of the third generation of Hebrews living in captivity, meaning he was likely born in Persia and had never once set foot in the ancestral homeland of his forefathers.
Furthermore, the people currently living in Jerusalem were not his immediate relatives or near kinsmen. While it was entirely natural for him to feel a sense of empathy for these distant people in their affliction and reproach, human empathy alone would never provide the sustained passion required to successfully complete the monumental task God had set before him.
The Limitation of Human Empathy
True empathy is a basic human emotion that stems from a genuine love and caring for our fellow man. When we see a person in distress, a broken home, a fractured community, or a struggling church, our natural response is to feel their pain. However, empathy on its own has its limits. It allows us to feel sorrow for a situation, but it often lacks the enduring strength needed to bring about lasting restoration. For Nehemiah, a simple emotional reaction to the news of Jerusalem’s broken walls wasn’t enough; his natural empathy needed to be transformed into something far deeper.
The Catalyst of Divine Passion
Instead of letting his emotions fizzle out, Nehemiah allowed his empathy to drive him straight to his knees. He sat down and wept, mourned for days, fasted, and prayed as he passionately pleaded with God to find clear direction for rebuilding what had been broken. It was in this season of intercession that a powerful shift occurred: God replaced Nehemiah’s basic empathy with a divine passion. While empathy is a natural human emotion, true passion is instilled directly by our heavenly Father. It acts as a spiritual catalyst, energizing us to keep moving forward until the mission is fully complete.
Facing the Brokenness Around Us
As Christians, we will inevitably face many broken things throughout our journey in life. This brokenness may manifest deep within ourselves, or it may be evident in the lives of our nearby loved ones. At times, we will see it plaguing our local communities, or even affecting peoples and nations far across the globe. In every broken situation put before us, we cannot rely on superficial emotions. We must follow Nehemiah’s example and be willing to weep, fast, and pray for direction by the Holy Spirit.
When we surrender our natural feelings to the Lord, He promises to plant the very passion in our hearts that we need to accomplish His divine will.
Seed for Thought: What broken situation or hurting person has God placed in your path today? Take a moment right now to move past simple empathy, and ask the Lord to ignite a divine passion in your heart to fulfill your part in His plan for healing.
Reflect and Respond
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Moving Beyond Empathy: When you encounter someone in distress or a broken situation, do you rely solely on natural empathy, or does that feeling drive you to your knees in prayer? Consider how Nehemiah’s initial sorrow served as a doorway to pleading with God for true direction.
- The Fuel of Divine Passion: Reflect on the difference between a basic human emotion and a supernatural passion instilled by the Father. Are you currently trying to address a broken home, community, or church out of your own limited strength, or are you relying on the catalyst that energizes you to finish the task?
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Seeking Holy Spirit Direction: Are you fully willing to weep, fast, and pray over the broken areas within yourself, your loved ones, or nations far away? Commit today to actively seeking the Holy Spirit’s guidance, trusting that God will plant the exact passion required to accomplish His divine will.
