In Connectedness with God We Feel His Burdens

Wall, in Monroe

When Nehemiah's brother comes to Susa, Nehemiah asks how things are going in Jerusalem. His brothers responds, "Not good. Our people are humiliated and unprotected. The walls of the city are down and the gates are destroyed and burned."

Upon hearing this, Nehemiah weeps. He fasts and prays. He is broken, before God. This is the beginning of his call to do something about this tragic situation.

He is burdened. Every burden is not a calling from God. But every calling begins with a burden.

When you live a daily, abiding life in Christ, you will have moments of burden. You cannot remain unburdened and apathetic (no feeling) and simultaneously be a branch connected to Jesus, the Vine.

This is because God is deeply burdened over the condition of people. To live connected to God produces much fruit in my life. It also produces a holy troubledness, a divine feeling. This is a call to do two things. First, like Nehemiah, to pray. Second, to seek God as how he would have me act. 

With the burden comes a soul-aching to do something. Yes, our God is fighting for us. (Neh. 4:20) But one day Nehemiah issues a call to battle.

 After I looked things over, 

I stood up and said to the nobles, 

the officials and the rest of the people, 

“Don’t be afraid of them. 

Remember the Lord,

who is great and awesome, 

and fight for your families, 

your sons and your daughters, 

your wives and your homes.”

Nehemiah 4:14

The call of God is a call to pray, and to act. It begins with a burden. Burdens emerge as we are connected to Jesus.