1The words of Nehemiah the son of Hacaliah.
Now in the month Chislev, in the twentieth year, as I was in Susa the palace, 2Hanani, one of my brothers, came, he and certain men out of Judah; and I asked them about the Jews who had escaped, who were left of the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem. 3They said to me, “The remnant who are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach. The wall of Jerusalem is also broken down, and its gates are burned with fire.”
4When I heard these words, I sat down and wept, and mourned several days; and I fasted and prayed before the God of heaven,
Nehemiah was a child of the exile, born under Persian rule, it was unlikely that he had ever even seen Jerusalem. Although he had not been there, it is the place his heart yearned for. Nehemiah was the King’s cupbearer, which basically meant he tasted the king’s wine and food to ensure that it wasn’t poisoned. Although this was quite a dangerous job, it was also a very trusted position and lucrative. Nehemiah would have lived a comfortable life in the palace and every day he would spend time with the King. Despite the comfort and luxury, Nehemiah knew that this place was not his true home. When news came that the walls of Jerusalem were in ruins, Nehemiah was destressed. He realised that the temple and city would be in trouble if the walls were not there to protect them. Nehemiah was determined to get to Jerusalem to build its walls no matter what.
Like Nehemiah, we need to be Kingdom thinkers, keeping our eyes fixed on God, no matter the situation. He lived in a world that was driven by priorities like power, wealth, possessions, image and status, yet he remained focused on God. For us, our eyes and hearts are not fixed on a physical place but rather the kingdom of God, for we too our citizens of a place that we do not live in.
Today as the people of God perhaps we need to examine ourselves as citizens of God’s kingdom and ask ourselves some questions.
Are we keeping our eyes fixed on God?
Are our priorities God’s priorities?
Are we longing to see God’s kingdom and plan here on earth or has something else caught our attention?