Listen with his heart

"The rest of the rest of the captivity, there in the province, are in great misery and reproach, and the wall of Jerusalem is in ruins, and its gates are burned with fire. And when I heard these words, I sat down and wept ; And I mourned for days, and fasted, and prayed unto the God of heaven." Nehemiah 1: 3, 4

Nehemiah is one of the deportees Jews forced to leave Jerusalem to live in Susa, capital of the kingdom of Artaxerxes. But he enjoys a more enviable position than that of his companions in misfortune; In fact, he was the king's cupbearer, a prestigious and enviable post at the time.

Yet his thoughts often fly to the beloved city of his origins. He receives sad news of destroyed Jerusalem and its scattered inhabitants, his heart melts. It was, however, the place chosen by God to make his name dwell there ! He could have rejoiced in his own situation, thanked God and stayed there. No doubt he gives thanks to God for having given him such a position, but he also possesses a heart that listens and is sensitive to others. He receives this information not only with his intellect, but also with his heart, a heart that listens and lets himself touch. He is moved with compassion for those who stayed in Jerusalem and his heart weeps. But Nehemiah does not do that, he addresses God and acts to come to the rescue of the city and its inhabitants.

We can ask ourselves if we know how to listen with our hearts and have a sensibility comparable to that of Nehemiah. God expects his children not to remain focused on their own problems, but to be open to those of others, that they bear their own sufferings, but also those of others. Suffering of others, one forgets a little his !

Jesus was moved with compassion towards a leper (Mark 1:41), a crowd (Mark 6: 34), or a widow walking behind the stretcher carrying his only child (Luke 7:13) ; He wept at the tomb of Lazarus (John 11:35). Does not the sensitivity of the Lord's heart move us ?

May God give us hearts that weep over the miseries of those around us ; Even those of people who make us suffer. My God, give me to be sensitive and listen with my heart !

Source (To pleasing the Lord)