Where is the Weeping?

My Belizean friend wrote to me recently: “I guess that the Good Lord has come to hear the crying of the few, and now He is moving.” I thought about his words 'the crying of the few.' "Yes," I thought, "but how few are crying these days." Immediately the story of Nehemiah came to mind: When I heard these words, I sat down and wept and mourned for days (1:4a). What caused Nehemiah’s sorrow? Learning that the Jews who had returned to Judah were disgraced by the condition of Jerusalem—its outer walls broken. The same word “broken” is used in Psalm 51:17 for a "broken” heart.

Nehemiah’s heart was broken over the condition of God’s people. And when Nehemiah arrived in Jerusalem some months later, not only did he rebuild the broken walls, he ‘restored’ the broken people. The Bible says as he read the Law, the people recognized their sinful condition and wept (Neh. 8:9).

Where is the weeping of God’s people today? Why is my own heart not more broken over the condition of God’s people in our age? Why are we not more grieved over the way this disparages the Lord’s reputation? Perhaps it is time to regard the words of James: Let there be tears for the wrong things you have done. Let there be sorrow and deep grief. Let there be sadness instead of laughter, and gloom instead of joy. Then, James immediately provides us with this promise of hope: When you bow down before the Lord and admit your dependence on him, he will lift you up and give you honor (James 4:9-10 NLT). But let me end with an even more positive note. After the Jews had wept, confessed, and repented, Nehemiah said: Do not be grieved [anymore], for the joy of the Lord is your strength (Neh. 8:10).