Nehemiah Cries for His City

Nehemiah had an important job. He worked for the king of a big country called Persia! He tasted the king's drinks to make sure they were safe. The king trusted Nehemiah very much.

One day, Nehemiah's brother came to visit. 'How is Jerusalem?' Nehemiah asked. Jerusalem was his home city—the special city where God's temple was.

His brother looked sad. 'Not good. The people there are in trouble. The walls around the city are all broken down. The gates are burned up.'

This was TERRIBLE news! Without walls, the city couldn't protect itself. Everyone could see the broken walls and make fun of God's people.

Nehemiah sat down and started to cry. He cried for many days! He didn't eat very much. He spent his time praying to God.

'God, You are so great and awesome!' Nehemiah prayed. 'You keep Your promises. I'm so sorry that Your people have sinned. I have sinned too. But You promised that if we come back to You, You would help us. Please help me, God! I need to ask the king for help. Please make the king be kind to me!'

Nehemiah didn't just feel sad and do nothing. He prayed and prayed. He was getting ready to do something BIG!

Sometimes when we see something wrong, we should do what Nehemiah did—pray to God first and ask Him to help us fix it!

Nehemiah loved his city so much that it made him cry. And he knew that God loved it even more!