Returning home after a disaster can be difficult if not impossible, especially if we feel responsible for the destruction. I was reading chapter one in the book of Nehemiah and thinking of how many of us experience profound changes in those people and places we took for granted and thought would be there forever.
Those in the flooding area who are returning home to find nothing but ruin, or those who had tornadoes this year and found their places of worship gone. Storms, floods, disasters are one thing that while we perhaps think our areas of life will never be impacted, we reluctantly accept them and start over. But the slow destruction that enters our lives this is even more wicked and difficult to accept.
Nehemiah had been "relocated" and asked about his people only to find out they had survived but were in great trouble and disgrace. Disgrace because their gates, walls of their great city Jerusalem was broken down and their relationship with God was mirrored in that gate.
What does Nehemiah do? He mourns, fasts and prays over the loss. He confesses in the prayer of their wrongs and accepts his own responsibility in what he has done. Then he speaks frankly to God about God's covenant. Then he does something I love - he reminds God of the promises God has made.
Today as I consider these words of Nehemiah I too think of two things: My need for confession as I enter the gates of churches whose "walls" are falling. Also my need for prayer to speak frankly to God about God's promises to the church.
O God my God, we are humbled by your continued love for us and the church which has fallen behind and in fact forgotten who you have called us to be. Help us dear God to rebuild and consider how to love again in neighborhoods who are suffering from poverty of love. Who have lost hope and looked to things to fill the void of the wall that has broken down. God, my God please bless those who continue to strive to rebuild the church despite the discouragement and distractions of this day. Bless the young who gather at the rubble who look to us as leaders. Help us to demonstrate leadership, strength, weakness, and humbleness. God the promises that have been given to our churches are still true. Help us to have courage and strength to realize them. AMEN
Those in the flooding area who are returning home to find nothing but ruin, or those who had tornadoes this year and found their places of worship gone. Storms, floods, disasters are one thing that while we perhaps think our areas of life will never be impacted, we reluctantly accept them and start over. But the slow destruction that enters our lives this is even more wicked and difficult to accept.
Nehemiah had been "relocated" and asked about his people only to find out they had survived but were in great trouble and disgrace. Disgrace because their gates, walls of their great city Jerusalem was broken down and their relationship with God was mirrored in that gate.
What does Nehemiah do? He mourns, fasts and prays over the loss. He confesses in the prayer of their wrongs and accepts his own responsibility in what he has done. Then he speaks frankly to God about God's covenant. Then he does something I love - he reminds God of the promises God has made.
Today as I consider these words of Nehemiah I too think of two things: My need for confession as I enter the gates of churches whose "walls" are falling. Also my need for prayer to speak frankly to God about God's promises to the church.
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| Tile Wall Remnant from Saint Martin De Porres Church |
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