I asked them about the Jews who had returned there from captivity and about how things were going in Jerusalem. 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.” Nehemiah 1:2b-3
Every human being was born with a deep sense of purpose. We want our lives to have an impact. This is because each one of us was created by God on purpose for a purpose. We know from Scripture that every person was created to know Christ and to make Christ known. In order to fulfill that deep sense of purpose, God gives each one of us gifts and divine burdens, inviting us to make an impact in the world and make Christ known.
Nehemiah wrote about the divine burden that God gave him in the book of Nehemiah. During the weekend message, we were reminded of the history leading up to this book of the Bible. Around 586 B.C., the Babylonians invaded the city of Jerusalem, along with Solomon's temple. God allowed this to happen because of the idolatry and unrepentant sin among the people of Israel. King Nebuchadnezzar's destruction of the city of Jerusalem's walls made the city vulnerable to attack. Around 70 years later, Cyrus, the king of Persia at the time, conquered the Babylonians and gave the Israelites permission to go back and rebuild their temple. About 50,000 people returned to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple. Unfortunately, after some time, the people of Israel continued to make mistakes, and they refused to turn away from their sins. Things seemed hopeless. Around this time, Persia had a new king. Nehemiah was the cupbearer to this new king. His job was to protect the king.
Nehemiah writes in Nehemiah 1 that during his time as cupbearer, he asked a group of men who had come from Judah about “the Jews who had returned there from captivity and about how things were going in Jerusalem” (verse 2). In the midst of his life serving as the king’s cupbearer, Nehemiah remembered his people who were back in Jerusalem. The men reported that things were not good. They said, "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" (verse 3). With this news, God gave Jeremiah a divine burden: to see the walls in Jerusalem be rebuilt. The book of Nehemiah chronicles this rebuilding that he spearheaded. God gave Nehemiah a divine burden, and it was his responsibility to act on it.
Before we can act on our divine burdens, we must first recognize the divine burden God has placed on our hearts. We need to consider the needs around us, the things we are passionate about, and the gifts God has given us to make an impact for Him. Understanding the divine burdens that God has given us brings clarity and direction to our lives. After all, we only have one shot at life. Let's use our lives to make Christ known everywhere around us.
Take some time now to think about your divine burden. Answer these questions to help you understand what your divine burden is: What are you passionate about? What gifts has God given you that you can leverage for Him? “What gets you out of bed in the morning?” and “What needs do you see around you?” Answer these questions, then, in your journal, summarize your divine burden. Acknowledge that burden to God today and ask Him to give you the courage to act on that burden.
Nehemiah 1:1-4
The words of Nehemiah son of Hakaliah:
In the month of Kislev in the twentieth year, while I was in the citadel of Susa, 2 Hanani, one of my brothers, came from Judah with some other men, and I questioned them about the Jewish remnant that had survived the exile, and also about Jerusalem.
3 They said to me, “Those who survived the exile and are back in the province are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire.”
4 When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven.
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