More than broken walls greeted Nehemiah when he returned to Jerusalem. The people themselves were broken. They despaired at the condition of their beloved city, weeping over its destruction. Through his inspired leadership, each family was charged with rebuilding not only his own home, but the portion of the Jerusalem walls where he lived. Within a year, they had settled in, but something was still missing…the Word of the Lord!

Do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.

Nehemiah 8:10

For perhaps two generations or more, they’d had no preacher, no one to bring God’s laws to them. So they built a platform for Ezra, who read the Torah from daybreak to midday, making clear God’s message, and the people stood in rapt attention. Aware of their sinful condition, they wept and repented. Ezra proclaimed the day sacred and instructed the people to rejoice – for the Lord had sustained them.

Often today’s churchgoers sit and squirm under half an hour of instruction, and just as frequently leave with the same somber faces they had when they arrived. Where is the joy? Won’t you purpose in your own heart to be strengthened in the joy that knowing Jesus brings? And purpose, too, to intercede for the brokenhearted among the nation’s leadership.

Recommended Reading: Nehemiah 8:1-12