TEXT FOR REFLECTION
3 And they said to me, “The remnant there 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.”
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. Nehemiah 1: 3-4
REFLETION
Nehemiah wept for days when he heard that the walls of Jerusalem and its gates had been destroyed. Nehemiah was not personally hurt by the devastation of Jerusalem. Afterall he had a trusted and prestigious position as the king's cupbearer, an honour made much greater, considering he was a prisoner of war. He lived in the safe city of Susa. Everything was going well for him.
Yet he wept for days and could not be consoled, not for himself but for "God's servants and people, whom God had redeemed by His great power and by His strong hand" v10. These were not even good people, yet Nehemiah saw that they were people redeemed by God. Nehemiah's tears were for God and the sinful people whom God loved and redeemed.
We often do not associate strong people with tears. Weeping is often associated with weakness or poor mental health; and even strong persons weep mainly over personal losses. A father may weep over the loss of his child, or a woman over the loss of a husband. Yet Nehemiah wept over the state of Jerusalem and her inhabitants.
There is a line of powerful and courageous people of God who wept inconsolably over the condition of God's people or over God's honour.
The prophet Isaiah wept when told of God's impending punishment upon the wayward people of Israel:
“I will weep bitterly, do not try to comfort me concerning the destruction of the daughter of my people” (Isa. 22:4).
When Jeremiah conveyed God’s warning of punishment for Judah’s rebellion, he admitted, “If you will not listen to it, my soul will sob in secret for such pride; and my eyes will bitterly weep and flow down with tears, because the flock of the Lord has been taken captive” (Jer. 13:17).
When our Lord Jesus observed the crying and grief of Lazarus’ sister (John 11:35-36), He wept publicly. Our Savior also wept as He approached Jerusalem, brokenhearted over future judgment that would ravage the city (Luke 19:41-44).
Weeping is not merely an outpouring of emotions. It lays bare the inner motivations of one's heart and is an indication of one's love and friendship with God. A line from a popular Christian song Hosanna goes, "Show me how to love like You have loved me. Break my heart for what breaks Yours, everything I am for Your kingdom's cause." Having our hearts broken for the things that break God's heart is sharing the innermost thoughts and feelings of God. It is to have communion with God. It is God trusting us with His deepest emotions.
And a person who feels so deeply what God feels will not go unnoticed by God. When King Josiah realized the stark difference between God's expectation of His people and the nations' moral climate, he broke down and then took action. This is what God said to king Josiah through a prophetess, "Because your heart was tender and you humbled yourself before God when you heard His words against this place and against its inhabitants, and because you humbled yourself before Me, tore your clothes and wept before Me, I truly have heard you" (2 Chron. 34:27).
To be able to weep over the things of God is a sign of friendship with God.
RELATE
Here are some lessons I learned from this passage about weeping.
1) God-inspired weeping is spontaneous and not contrived. One cannot force oneself to weep. Such weeping comes from sharing the Father's joys and sorrows. While we can with great will-power fast and pray for days, only those who feel the Father's anguish will be able to weep for something that hurts our God.
2) It is not self-righteous. Nehemiah, when he heard of the plight of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, did not judge them. Rather, he included himself as one of the sinners who deserved the most severe punishment. Friends of God do not stand in self-righteous judgment over the people God loves. Rather, they share God's love for them and angonize with God over the consequences of their sin.
Sometime in the 80s, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit came in a large way. This led to a spiritual revival throughout Singapore. Christians who were indifferent to God in their self-centred lifestyles suddenly became zealous for God. Gifts of the Holy Spirit such as healing, tongues, prophesies and miracles were poured out upon churches in Singapore. Many churches came alive. This phenomenon however, divided churches as well. Those who embraced this outpouring of the Holy Spirit called themselves Charismatics or Pentecostals, while those who maintained their traditions came to be known as traditionalists, conservatives or anti-charismatics. Even mainstream churches like the Methodist Churches were affected. The rift was so great that it led to much animosity. Charismatics looked down on non-charismatics as persons without power, while non-Charismatics branded Charismatics as deluded and led astray. Church members who once were friends became enemies. A leader of one Methodist Church, who was one of the first to receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit and acknowledged as an unofficial leader of the Charismatic movement in that church, was distraught that such a wonderful gift would tear the church apart. One Sunday, after everyone had left the church, he went to the altar held on to it and wept inconsolably. So great was his grief that he continued weeping for hours. Subsequent Sundays, he insisted on joining the traditional service, thus indicating that the Holy Spirit was as present among traditionalists as He was in charismatic services. To this day, one of the phenomena in this church is that a large number of 'charismatics' continue to worship at the traditional service. The tears of one godly man brought the unity of the Holy Spirit to the church.
3) Godly grief leads to restorative action. In each of the examples above, grief also led to actions of love. Nehemiah courageously asked the king for leave to rebuild Jerusalem. Jeremiah continued to give messages of hope even when Jerusalem lay in ruins. He reminded the people that the 'steadfast love of the Lord never ceases'. Our Lord Jesus after he had wept, walked to the cross to redeem His people.
Conclusion
One of the most reliable 'proofs' that God is love is that His friends weep over sin and the consequences to evil doers of their sin. They neither judge nor do they gloat. Their tears reveal how God really feels about sinners. And after their tears have flowed, they respond to do the needful.
REST
Father, please prepare my heart to feel as you feel, my eyes to see as you see, my ears to hear as you hear, and let my life be an instrument of your grace. Amen
Chiu Ming Li
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