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b'Do you feel like the world is falling apart? Do you wish someone would have\\nthe courage to step forward and fix it? Nehemiah knew what that felt like.\\nHe was a cupbearer to the Babylonian king, living in a time after God\\u2019s\\npeople had been exiled for worshiping idols and rejecting God\\u2019s good\\ncommands.\\nNehemiah was heartbroken when he heard the news that Jerusalem, the beloved\\ncity of God\\u2019s people, lay in ruins\\u2014homes reduced to rubble, the temple\\ndestroyed, and the walls broken down.\\nA city without walls had no defense.\\nNehemiah wept and prayed for guidance, asking for forgiveness for the\\nsinful things God\\u2019s people had done. Miraculously, God not only released\\nhim from his cupbearer responsibilities to the king but also provided\\nprotection along the way AND the materials to build!\\nOnce Nehemiah arrived, he assessed the damage, which was worse than he\\nexpected. But Nehemiah was not deterred in what God had called him to do.\\nInstead, he rallied the Jews, newly returned from exile in Babylon, and\\ntold them he had a plan, the materials, and most importantly, God\\u2019s\\napproval. The people would work together to rebuild Jerusalem\\u2019s walls.\\nBut Nehemiah faced repeated and discouraging opposition. Still, he trusted\\nin God. He knew God had blessed the rebuilding project, and eventually the\\nwalls were rebuilt.\\nAs Christians living life in this crazy world full of brokenness and lies,\\nwe find hope in Jesus when we read the Bible, God\\u2019s love letter to us. In\\nthe book of Nehemiah, we hear over and over again reminders and promises\\nthat point to Jesus: that God is with His people, no matter how hopeless\\nthe situation may seem, and that He is ready to restore and redeem those\\nwho repent, even though we have sinned. We are free to serve Jesus, knowing\\nthat we are never alone and that He promises to one day make all things\\nnew\\u2014free from sin and death. \\u2022 Jarm Del Boccio\\n\\u2022 When Nehemiah saw the brokenness around him, he talked to God. What is\\nweighing on your heart today? Consider taking a moment to talk to God about\\nthese things. \\n\\u2022 How can the promises of Jesus encourage us to pray about, and maybe even\\ntake action to help with, the situations that weigh on our hearts? (Matthew\\n28:20; 1 John 1:9; Revelation 21:1-6) \\nWhen our enemies and the surrounding nations heard about it, they were\\nfrightened and humiliated. They realized this work had been done with the\\nhelp of our God. Nehemiah 6:16 (NLT)\\n\\xa0\\nRead Verses:\\nNeh.1.1-Neh.2.8|Neh.6.16'