Repairing the Walls

DAILY READING

Nehemiah 1:1-11

FIELD NOTES

After Jerusalem was destroyed by the Babylonians in 587 BC, the Temple was laid waste and the walls of the city were broken down. The once-proud city of David was in shambles and its remaining people were destitute and starving.

00Nearly 150 years later, a Jewish man serving the king of Persia, was given an impossible dream — to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the city. After securing permission and support from the Persian king, Nehemiah returned to Jerusalem and in an astounding 52 days, rebuilt the city walls. He faced opposition and enemies, but he trusted God and kept working.

The world is full of broken places and destitute and starving people. God gives each of us a part of the work of restoration. The Jewish rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson once said, “If you see what needs to be repaired and how to repair it, then you have found a piece of the world that God has left for you to complete. But if you only see what is wrong and how ugly it is, then it is you yourself that needs repair.” May we each see our part, have an idea how to fix it, and then have the courage and will to do it.

QUESTIONS FOR THE FIELD

• What repairs does the world need? Is there a particular repair you can envision making?

FAMILY FIELD TALK

• Have you ever fixed anything that’s broken? How did you feel when you got it working again? God would like us to help him fix the broken things in our world. Is there something you’d really like to make better? Pray that God will give you a dream in your heart to make some part of the world better.

PRAYER GUIDE

God, we are grateful that you call us to be partners with you in repairing the world. Please give us an impossible dream that, with your help and guidance, we can make come true. Amen.