Only the beginning...

I'm currently doing a devotional right now on Nehemiah, a book in the Old Testament of the Bible. After only 2 days of the devo, I am already challenged and challenged enough to share what I'm learning.

When Nehemiah hears that the walls of Jerusalem are torn down and it's gates burned, he sat down, wept, mourned, fasted and prayed. The devo asks "what does his response tell you about his heart?" ...well Nehemiah's heart was completely broken. He felt for his city and the people there. The devo goes on to say, "Nehemiah had a God-inspired heart that couldn't bear the thought of letting his fellow Jews suffer- a heart that had no choice but to do something!"

Oh boy...so Katie here you are in Haiti, where yes pictured below is the palace, still damaged and collapsed after more than 2 years from the earthquake meaning if the palace is broken down so are others homes and lives are still impacted and broken..not just physical brokenness of a house but emotional, spiritual, mental, etc. and so Katie the question is "does your heart break?"

I'll speak for me because that's all I can do...I think I put up walls around my heart to protect it sometimes from feeling what God would want me to. Granted I can't go around crying all the time but Nehemiah cried AND prayed! I think what I'm leaning towards here is its okay to let your heart break...but don't let it stop there...Pray!

And that's what today's topic was about: prayer. (verses pictured) Nehemiah did do something, he prayed! He believed that "prayer was just as much a part of the work as any physical action he might one day take."

Oh boy again...Katie..do you believe that? And if you believe it, do you live it out??

For encouragement...Verse 5 speaks of God keeping "his covenant of love with those who love him and obey his commands." The Hebrew word for the first "love" used here is "hesed" meaning unfailing love, loyal love, often based on a covenant relationship. The devo says, "the idea is not that God's hesed for us is conditional but that His love compels us to love Him back with affection and obedience."

Praise God that it starts and ends with Him! His love allows me to love Him back! What a great and awesome God He is!