"When I heard these things, I sat down and wept."
Nehemiah 1:1-4
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The truth was that the majority, though they perhaps held on to their national integrity, and carried on the distinctive aspects of their Jewish culture and religion, did not trouble themselves about the state of Jerusalem or their own country. Nehemiah cared.

Nehemiah showed where his concern was, in that when Hanani returned from visiting Judah, Nehemiah questioned him concerning how things were with the Jewish remnant still living in and around Jerusalem. We are not told why Hanani visited Judah, whether it was for business or family reasons, or something else, but he had been there and Nehemiah realised that here was first hand knowledge of how things were with the Jews in Judah.

The fact that Nehemiah questioned Hanani showed his mind often dwelt upon his home land, and that he was deeply concerned for it. Nehemiah enquired about the remnant. Nehemiah was concerned for their welfare, but as we shall see he was very concerned about their spiritual welfare, whether they lived for Jehovah or were living for themselves. Nehemiah was also concerned about the state of Jerusalem, the capital city of Judah. He was concerned for the prosperity and honour of the city.

Behind this concern for the people and the city was a deeper concern which Nehemiah had. This was his concern for the glory of God, and how the disgrace of Israel dishonoured God, and also for the spiritual welfare of the people, that they may be in the favour and love of God.

Nehemiah presents us with a challenge. It cannot be said that our churches are falling down, or that the life of the church today is in such a state as Judah during the time of Nehemiah, but is the church of God as living as it should be? Is the church showing forth the glory of God in our day and age? Is the church declining or growing, and if declining should we not be concerned? Are we concerned for the Gospel, and the spiritual and eternal condition of the majority in the land in which we live? Do we care that the majority of people are without God and without hope in the world?

Would it not be true to say that such concern which marked the life of Nehemiah is lacking, or not as great as it could or should be, and the glory of God and spiritual life of the church is on the decline because of it?

There is caring and caring. We can care a little. We can care in fits and starts. On the other hand we can care a great deal. Nehemiah cared a great deal, and this was expressed in his reaction to the news he heard from Hanani.

Hanani told Nehemiah the sad account that things were very bad in Judah. The people were in great trouble and disgrace. No doubt Israelites were despised in their own land and were poor and dispirited. Further Nehemiah learnt that Jerusalem was a ruin, with its walls in ruins and its gates burned down. From this Nehemiah was able to deduce the awful fact that the worship of Jehovah had well nigh ceased altogether; that faith had evaporated, and people were ignoring the law of God.

This news so effected Nehemiah that we are told he sat down and wept. This state of affairs hurt him deeply. He felt deeply about the temporal and spiritual condition of the Jews in Palestine at that time. He also felt deeply for the honour of God which was linked so inevitably with the condition of Israel. He felt concerning the meaning of all he heard which was that God seemed to have forsaken his people. This hurt him so much that he wept. In other words he was touched and broken by this condition of Israel and touched to his heart.

The challenge here is whether we care about the Gospel today? Whether we care about the eternal welfare of people today? Whether we care about the state of the life of the church today? Whether we care if the churches are growing or whether the church members are showing forth the love of Christ?

The trouble is that it is not easy to care. In fact it is impossible in any deep sense unless God burdens our hearts with the state of Jerusalem - the church today. Yet the church needs people who care and weep in their souls for the state of the church. The first thing that is needed for all of us if we would be carers is to pray for such a burden given by God, for unless God gives the burden we will not be able to sustain a spirit of caring from which action and blessing then follows.

We read of Nehemiah that he mourned and fasted and prayed. Here are three actions of caring for the glory of God and the state of the church.

Mourning is an expression of sorrow. Mourning is an expression of the acknowledgement of falling short of the glory of God. Mourning is a feeling of guilt for sin and failure. Nehemiah felt all this for Israel, but as we shall see he included himself in this failure. In his concern for the sin and failure of Israel he saw that he was part of this and that he also was guilty before God.

In this mourning their is a real sense of unworthiness before God, and the realisation that we deserve God�s displeasure, and that we can not claim any blessing from God as a right or a deserving. Rather this mourning is a realisation that before God we can only look for mercy and grace, and so mourning involves throwing of ourselves on the mercy and grace of God.

Mourning also includes a spirit of repentance. We cannot mourn for sin without repenting of it. Repenting is an expression of shame and guilt for sin. It is an expression of hate for sin as an evil before God and which defiles the soul, and dishonours God. Repentance desires to change and turn away from all that dishonours God, and desires to please God by doing his will. In no sense does repentance win God�s favour by its self abasement, but it is a sorrowing before God for what we are.

We have such an acknowledgement which is expressed in true repentance in Isaiah 64:6 & 7. We see that even the good things we do, which appear very acceptable in the eyes of the world, are in the eyes of God like filthy rags.

In the eyes of the world such self abasement is weakness and loss, but in the spiritual realm it is neither weakness or loss. It takes great strength of character to admit our sin. Further God resists the proud and gives grace to the humble. The words of Jesus in the sermon on the Mount, in what is called the Beatitudes, tells the truth. "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those that mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth."

God�s reviving grace upon his church begins with mourning before God from the heart for our sins and the sins of the church.

Nehemiah fasted. We are not told in what way he fasted. Traditionally fasting is going without food. The Bible has very little sympathy with fasting which prompts pride in self denial, and looks on the activity as meritorious before God. Nehemiah�s fasting was not like this.

Nehemiah fasted because of his sorrow for the things he had heard about his own countrymen. Without doubt this fasting Nehemiah engaged in was a compulsion which gave up time for eating or recreation because he had no stomach for these things, because of his great trouble of soul for the state of Jerusalem. Without doubt his fasting was laying aside many normal activities of life because he cared about the state of Israel, and wanted to give time to think about it and what could be done, and above all give time to spend with God concerning Israel.

Here is the soul of the one who cares for the church and its spiritual welfare. There is such an overwhelming desire for God�s glory and the eternal salvation of people that other things are given up in order to give ourselves to mourn before God and pray until God returns to his people in grace and mercy.

Fasting is not neglecting the duties of life or the needs of people. Nehemiah still continued his duties in the court of the king of Persia. Fasting is rather giving up such time and activity which is in our personal control, and giving that time to God and to seek God. Nehemiah so cared that he could not help but do this. Meals and recreation gave place to seeking God for mercy and wisdom.

Nehemiah fasted in order to give himself to prayer. He gave himself to prayer for many days. When we care for the glory of God and for the souls of our fellow human beings; but when we care about the church and whether it is showing forth the gospel of God�s love and grace, or not; then we will resort to prayer.

Prayer is the first and greatest avenue of caring that we have as God�s people. We have no strength ourselves to change how things are. We do not know what should or could be done to make things better. If we resort to our own wisdom and expertise, we may find there is some improvement in things from an outward view, but there will be little if any spiritual change, so that as soon as the effort is ended, people will go back to the state in which they were before.

Life is the gift of God. There will be no spiritual life unless it is given from above. We need to know the will of God. We need the Lord to be gracious too us. We need to plead for his mercy in Christ. We need to be guided by God.

The point of Nehemiah�s caring was that he was willing to give himself to intercede before God and wait upon God until God in grace gave his blessing. He was prepared to intercede until God answered his plea for mercy. This is why he mourned and fasted and prayed for some days.

The church needs, indeed God looks for, those who have this caring heart. If we have not got it then we need to pray for it.