In Touch Daily Devotional
Assessing What Is Left
There is always hope when we look to the Lord for our next step.
May 4, 2024
Nehemiah 2:11-18
11 So I came to Jerusalem and was there three days.
12 And I arose in the night, I and a few men with me. I did not tell anyone what my God was putting into my mind to do for Jerusalem and there was no animal with me except the animal on which I was riding.
13 So I went out at night by the Valley Gate in the direction of the Dragon's Well and on to the Refuse Gate, inspecting the walls of Jerusalem which were broken down and its gates which were consumed by fire.
14 Then I passed on to the Fountain Gate and the King's Pool, but there was no place for my mount to pass.
15 So I went up at night by the ravine and inspected the wall. Then I entered the Valley Gate again and returned.
16 The officials did not know where I had gone or what I had done; nor had I as yet told the Jews, the priests, the nobles, the officials or the rest who did the work.
17 Then I said to them, ``You see the bad situation we are in, that Jerusalem is desolate and its gates burned by fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem so that we will no longer be a reproach."
18 I told them how the hand of my God had been favorable to me and also about the king's words which he had spoken to me. Then they said, ``Let us arise and build." So they put their hands to the good work.
Navigating loss is a complex process; there is no straightforward path through grief. Yet Nehemiah’s journey from lamenting the broken walls of Jerusalem to rebuilding them offers us insight as we partner with God to put life’s shattered places back together.
After grieving the destruction of Jerusalem’s fortifications, Nehemiah asked King Artaxerxes for permission to return to that city and rebuild its protective wall. Taking stock of what remains after loss is an important step as we move from grieving to rebuilding. It can be difficult to find glimmers of hope while surveying the ruins of broken lives, dreams, or relationships, but we are never without the one thing that matters most—God’s presence. Nehemiah knew this to be true, which is why he toured Jerusalem to inspect its walls and learn what was needed to repair the damage. In doing so, he oriented himself towards hope—that is, he looked for what could be accomplished with God’s help.
As the Lord did with Nehemiah, He also invites us to view rubble in our life with eyes of faith. So let’s dare to look beyond our present circumstances toward the joy of future restoration.
