Hands by Bas Van Der Pluym at freeimages.com
We have all heard the saying, “No one cares what you say, until they know you care.” But how do people know we care? We get so wrapped up in our busy lives that it is easy to not care enough about others.
I was studying from Nehemiah and discovered three key things we can do to “care” better for others in chapter 1.
- Care enough to ask. Nehemiah, who was living in luxury and had it made in an exalted position as the king’s cupbearer, was concerned about his homeland. He was concerned about his kinsman who had returned to the land of Israel. When one of his brothers had returned, he asked him how it was going. A great amount of caring can be communicated in a simple, sincere question. We must care enough to ask! Sometimes a question can open up a flood of information or emotion that you never anticipated, because they feel loved.
- Care enough to pray. Nehemiah heard that his brethren were in great trouble and shame. He learned the walls of Jerusalem were broken down and the city lay unprotected from enemies. He was moved to tears upon hearing this news. He began to fast and pray for days. One of his prayers is recorded in 1:5-11. He confesses their sins and beseeches the Lord’s mercy upon them. Prayer is powerful and we must take praying for others seriously. When people ask us to pray, or we tell others we will pray, we must realize we can impact heaven and earth with our prayers.
- Care enough to act. Nehemiah was already devising a plan to help. It would have been very easy for Nehemiah to think there was nothing he could do. He was a long ways away and he had little resources. Yet, he began dreaming big. He began to dream of going to Jerusalem and rebuilding the wall. He started to pray about this and make a plan of how to get the resources and carry out the mission. He cared enough to act! When we see a need, we need to be willing to get our hands dirty. We have to be able to put our personal agendas aside and love others!
Nehemiah’s three step plan for caring! It worked for him and it will work for us today. We can show the love of Christ if we start caring like Nehemiah.
