Telling trouble

Then I said to them, “You see the trouble we are in: Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned with fire.
- from Nehemiah 2:17

Sometimes you need someone to tell you when you’re in trouble. Maybe you’ve been in the thick of it for so long that it’s become normal to you. Maybe you can’t see a way out so you close your eyes tighter. Maybe you tell yourself that you’re only imagining you trouble. That outside voice naming the trouble can be a tremendous blessing.

That’s what Nehemiah did in today’s passage. He didn’t tell them anything they didn’t know. But he did push them to deal with it.

The people who lived in and around Jerusalem had adjusted to life in this difficult state. They had found ways to live without wall or gates. Life was hard, but they survived.

Nehemiah’s project would provide the people with the possibility of a life that’s better than mere survival. But to get to that life, they would have to risk and work and change. Nehemiah would play the role of the outside agitator but the people would still have to respond.

At times we have to step in like Nehemiah and help people see that they’re in trouble. We speak words of warning with love and humility: “If you stay on this path, here’s where I think you’ll end up and I don’t want that for you because I care about you.”

At other times we have to listen to the people who are trying to tell us that they see trouble in our lives or on our horizon. They won’t always be right; we know that. But they have a perspective that we don’t and might see something that we can’t. The wise will listen with discernment.

Take a look at your life. Are there any words of warning to which you need to attend more attentively? Are there any words you need to speak? Ask the Lord to give you both wise attention and a compassionate voice.

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