In the month of Nisan in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was brought for him, I took the wine and gave it to the king. I had not been sad in his presence before; so the king asked me, “Why does your face look so sad when you are not ill? This can be nothing but sadness of heart” (Nehemiah 2:1-2 NIV)
Before any process of restoration can begin there must be acknowledgement that something has broken down. Once this is acknowledged, those who are interested in restoration must develop a concern. This concern may start by just gathering information about the situation or reading up about the problem. By using Nehemiah as a model for our restoration we see from the outset in his writing that his concern was visible for all to see. So much so that the king noticed what was going on and concluded that there was a heart problem.
The concern we develop must be genuine and heartfelt. For us to begin to change anything, we must be filled with compassion and empathy so that we can work towards changing the situation. Nehemiah had a deep longing to see his beloved city where God resided rebuilt, but there was none of his fellow exiles who had the passion or the contact to begin the process. However, God placed him in the right place with people of influence so that he could start the process to effect change. God gave him favour so that he could receive benefits from the king. And because of his faithfulness in diligently serving him over the years he received all he needed. He was able to leave his Job for a period of time and go to Jerusalem to start the rebuilding process.
Today God sees and rewards faithfulness, but he is more concerned about our concern for rebuilding and restoring those in our communities who wandering away from him. Let us develop a concern for others and not just focus on our own problems.
Read Nehemiah 2
Pastor Bell's Words To Live By 
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