Today’s Reading: Nehemiah 1:1‐3:14, 1 Corinthians 7:1‐24, Psalm 31:19‐24, Proverbs 21:4
Nehemiah 1:4 – As soon as I heard these words I sat down and wept and mourned for days, and I continued fasting and praying before the God of heaven.
Observations:
- Context: Nehemiah has just been told that the wall of Jerusalem has been broken down and the remnant there that survived the exile is in “great trouble and shame.”
- As soon as I heard these words:
- I sat down
- Wept and mourned
- for days
- Continued fasting and praying
- before the God of heaven
Nehemiah is known for being a man of action. He rebuilds the wall of Jerusalem in only 52 days. However, he didn’t act immediately.
Apply: I often try to respond to quickly. I need to allow morning in tough times and rejoicing in good times to drive me to God.
Is there something that has happened in your life that you need to weep, morn, fast and pray over? Have you let yourself sit down and do it?
samholm.com 
Sam,
That’s a really good application of this scripture. I had not paid any attention to Ezra’s period of morning until I read your post. He was definitely a man of contemplation in stark contract to other Bible heroes. For example, I envision David having no hesitation when Goliath challenged the crowd and he jumped up to say “I fight for the Lord and I’m taking you down.” Moses seemed to be a mix of the two, often stepping away to spend time with God, but having moments of instinctual rage against sin (breaking commandment tablets, killing the guard, etc.). I say this because I struggle with acting boldly sometimes. I pray for God’s will and when I believe I understand it, I move forward. Then if I run into an obstacle, I often question whether it really was God’s will and pray about it again. I often wonder if I’m being bold enough in claiming God’s strength when I face adversity. Jesus said to just have faith and seek to do God’s will, then we can do “anything.”
Do you ever find yourself overthinking things instead of boldly acting on God’s will?
I often find myself overthinking things. In fact, I just struggled to book a few nights in a hotel for a trip for Rebecca and I because I was worried about saving a few $s.
In my own walk with him, the clearer his voice is, the easier it is for me to move forward immediately.
I also need to rest in pain and joy. I think that through those times God draws us to himself.