Slow Down
Good Morning,
Nehemiah 1:3 “And they said unto me, The remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach: the wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire.”
vs. 4 “And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven,”
vs. 5 “And said, I beseech thee, O LORD God of heaven, the great and terrible God, that keepeth covenant and mercy for them that love him and observe his commandments:”
Do you remember when Job had his terrible trouble? His friends showed up and spent a week just sitting with him, crying.
Job 2:12 “And when they lifted up their eyes afar off, and knew him not, they lifted up their voice, and wept; and they rent every one his mantle, and sprinkled dust upon their heads toward heaven.”
vs. 13 “So they sat down with him upon the ground seven days and seven nights, and none spake a word unto him: for they saw that his grief was very great.”
We have been used to a fast-paced society, one in which we race to work and encourage our children towards academics and sports when they are very young. We hurry romance, marriage (and divorce), as well as time with family. What ever happened to spending time with the family? Evenings at home are almost extinct. Instead, they are filled with all of the events we rush through in any given week.
Nehemiah was in Babylon, a part of the captivity. He had a good position at work and had probably grown up there in Babylon, somewhat a slave, an outsider, an immigrant. Yet when he heard circumstances were not going well “at home,” he sat down and for certain days to pray, fast, and mourn.
I would like to make the case for slowing down a little, especially when trials come. We need to draw near to God, to seek His presence and help, and to do so without any hurry in mind.
With all of the pressure that had been forced upon the Lord, He went to pray for long hours. He had time to spend with widows and fallen women, time to eat at the home of religious leaders, and to time to have close friendships with Mary, Martha, Lazarus, and others. He was known for blessing the children and for teaching by the hour. He reminded us of the importance of visiting those in prison, and the fatherless and widows. Jesus urged us to pray.
Let me urge you to prayer -- to pray for those who hurt, for the broken, for the troubled, for the wonderful people we all know like Job who had friends who sat and wept for seven days with him. Care and prayer go very closly together, and spending time is a requirement for both.
Our hurried society has kept us from receiving the strength and peace our Lord promised. We rush to do good things and find ourselves needing anxiety pills.
The days before technology were perhaps no better; but certainly, the ability to get a text message during our time in the Bible, or to answer a telephone when in prayer, has not helped in keeping our walk with God uninterrupted. The big need is to eliminate the hours wasted on foolish entertainment. If we were to take the hours spent on sports and spend them on time with the family, solitude with Christ, or visiting the needy, our twenty-four hours each day would be more restful. No matter who you are, to do as Nehemiah or Job’s friends did when they spent hours or days in mourning certainly requires sacrifice.
May we learn to slow down, to care, to pray.
Pastor