Nehemiah’s Example for Christians Amid Crisis
The devastating fires sweeping through L.A. County here in Southern California have brought unimaginable loss. 35,000 acres have been scorched, over 5,000 structures have been destroyed, and over 10,000 people have lost their homes. And the impact goes far beyond material possessions. Lives have been lost and, for many, it’s the irreplaceable treasures with deep sentimental value that make this loss so painful.
But through times like these, God is near the brokenhearted (Psalm 34:18). And in His Word we find Nehemiah as an example of what we’re to do when facing a crisis like this.
There Is a Time to Pray, and a Time to Act
Nehemiah was the king’s cup bearer, which meant he was in a high ranking position. He had affluence and influence. Some even think he was the second most powerful man in the kingdom! And when he found out the once proud walls of Jerusalem were lying in ruin, everything changed for him.
He was dependent on God, praying for four months as he sought His guidance. But he also took action when he asked to go rebuild the city (see Nehemiah 2).
Sometimes we go to extremes when it comes to wanting to see God work in our lives. We either worry and fret, never praying about it. Or we pray, but we don’t take practical steps.
Like the story of Moses and the people of Israel at the Red Sea. They were praying for God’s deliverance because the Egyptian army was in hot pursuit. But God essentially said to Moses, “Why are you praying? This is a time to move. Hold your staff out over the Red Sea and cross over on dry ground” (see Exodus 14).
Sometimes we have to just make the move. The time for intercession has passed and the time for intervention has come. It is time to take action.
It’s like when someone’s praying for their troubled marriage. That’s good, but are they doing their part? Are they loving their spouse as Scripture says one should? You have to make sure you’re doing your part while you’re praying.
We can pray all day long for God to give us the strength to do something, but sometimes you have to just do it. Take that step of faith and the emotions and feelings will catch up.
Nehemiah was a man who saw need and did something about it. As the city he cared for faced a crisis, he acted.
Take Opportunities to do Good
Nehemiah could have easily said “Well, that’s sad. I’ll remember you guys in my prayers!” when he heard what happened. But instead, he realized he was in a position where he had access to the king; he had the ear of the most powerful man on the earth.
Nehemiah leveraged this position of influence to help his fellow Jews in their time of hurt. We should think the same way as him: if they’re hurting, I’m hurting.
In times of crisis, like now with the wildfires, let’s take opportunities to do good. Scripture says, “Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone—especially to those in the family of faith” (Galatians 6:10 NLT).
And remember, the church is a family. If someone is hurting, we should care enough to do what we can to help them.
More than once, the church is compared to the body of Christ in Scripture. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 12:26, “If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it, and if one part is honored, all the parts are glad” (NLT). Us Christians should not walk away, but walk toward those hurting.
We Need to Find Our Place in the work
In Nehemiah 3, there’s a list of names we don’t know and we wonder why are they even in here? The answer is because they show us how all these regular people heroically obeyed God and did their part.
The words next to him and after him are mentioned 28 times in the chapter. Everybody had something to do.
Everyone has a vital part to play in the church. Scripture says, “He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love” (Ephesians 4:16 NLT). And in Romans 12, we read, “Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other. In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well…” (verses 4–6 NLT).
B. C. Forbes, the founder of Forbes Magazine, once said, “You spell success as follows: t-e-a-m-w-o-r-k.”
You are either a participator or spectator at church. If you are the latter, you miss out on so much. And when you get involved, you will see your church experience enriched as well.
So pray about the role you can play and start building your part of the wall.
Working Together in a Time of Crisis
When we work together, we see great things accomplished and we see God glorified. And disasters like now bring us the opportunity to do just that.
Together, we can bring not only tangible help, but spiritual help. We can bring those hurting the gospel and hope.
The Harvest Relief Fund we’ve created will provide generators for those in the hardest hit areas, provide pastoral care, spiritual resources, and more. We are also working with organizations like Samaritan’s Purse.
If you would like to join us in our relief efforts, go to harvest.org/relief. We can make a difference together and do what the church does best: shine the light of Christ in the midst of a dark time.
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