If You Need Anything Just Let Me Know

When I heard these words, I sat down and wept and mourned for days; and I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven.  - Nehemiah 1:4 (NASB) 

Need anything? Of course they needed something! The destruction was so great in places that even a horse was unable to pass through the rubble. Mountains of crumbled stone. Smoldering timbers. Injured and dazed. Loved ones gone. "If you need anything, just let me know." Come on now. Give me a big, fat break!

To my shame, I have uttered those words more times than I can count, only to move on with my life leaving someone to pick up the pieces left behind by the storm or battle that just swept through their lives. It was obvious that they needed something, so why did I ask? Surely I really cared. Was I just at a loss for words and couldn't think of anything better to say? Perhaps I needed to sooth my guilty conscience. After all, I've made myself available. All they have to do is "say the word" and I'll come runnin'! (Just for future reference, don't make people beg. They already feel low enough as it is. And come on, when was the last time that you asked someone for help?)

Nehemiah provides a perfect example of how to handle the news of destruction in a friends life. He got involved - emotionally, spiritually and physically. And perhaps therein lies the problem. Involvement requires something of us. Here's a short list from this account that we can expect when we allow ourselves to become involved.

1. Grief - He wept and mourned. Scripture clearly states that we are to shoulder this load with one another. "...Weep with those who weep" (Romans 12:15) In a culture where self-gratification rules, this is not a popular, nor easy thing to do. I've seen far too often that I simply don't want to suffer, don't want to be sad or don't want to feel bad. 
   
2. Identification - While there are moments of innocence, most of life's troubles are a result of sin. If not our own, then someone else's. In this case, it appears that Nehemiah had every reason to point the finger of accusation and say, "You've made your bed, now lie in it." Instead, realizing that he was really no different and deserving of no better, he accurately states in his prayer, "...I and my father's house have sinned. We have acted very corruptly...".
3.  Intercession - I really have a hard time asking for help. While somewhat easier, I have a hard time asking for help for someone else. Especially difficult however, is asking for help for someone who brought their miseries on themselves. At what I feel is the deepest level of prayer, intercession essentially places us as the "go between", the mediator, the representative of the one we are praying for. Nehemiah positioned himself before the God of heaven "...on behalf of the sons of Israel". Such action is no small thing. It goes beyond the casual prayer or petition and reminds God of His covenant promises, seeks to know His heart and true desires for a given situation and pleads for His mercy and grace. It takes time. Thus, my next point.
4. Time - "...I sat down and wept and mourned for days..." Unquestionably, time is one of our greatest treasures and there is no shortage of things vying for it. We feel pretty good about ourselves if we manage to carve out 10 or 15 minutes to pray for someone, but days?Surely God understands how busy I am and will "hurry things along" so that life can get back to "normal".  Much of our prayer is ineffective because we fail at the point of initiation. We simply neglect to take the time needed to truly know the heart of God. "We ask and do not receive, because we ask with wrong motives, so that we may spend it on our own pleasures." (James 4:3) Fix it God so that we can get on with life!
5.  Risk - "...Then I was very much afraid" (Neh 2:2) Nehemiah enjoyed a very privileged and trusted position in the king's court and this peek into his heart reveals that his involvement came with a degree of risk. Kings were known to be finicky and temperamental. A head could roll if one wasn't careful. At the very least, his job could be at stake. He was getting ready to ask for a leave of absence for heaven's sake! Imagine asking your boss for a couple of months off to help with disaster relief in Somalia or some such noble cause. Obtaining God's favor is essential. "O Lord...make thy servant successful today, and grant him compassion before this man...". (Neh 1:11)
6. More time, energy & patience - When it was all said and done, the actual work had to be done and no small task awaited the workers. Stones had to be cleared, smoldering fires extinguished, walls rebuilt and gates hung, not to mention the emotional and physical needs of the people themselves. Recovery takes time, resources and a physical touch from a loving hand. It simply isn't enough to say we care and leave it at that. "If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, and one of you says to them, 'Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,' and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that?" (James 2:15-16)

See someone in distress today? Don't ask. Get involved!