Inspired Daughters

What Writing in a Prayer Journal Taught me about Myself

Have you ever written in a prayer journal? If so, you’ll know that it’s healing because of how you changed after writing out each prayer. I remember when I was broken and a friend gave me a prayer journal. I found it easier to write out my thoughts, feelings, and prayers than I thought it would be. After spending months writing these things out, I learned that my focus changed. In this post I will show you what you need to know about writing in a prayer journal.

Beginning with an Inspirational Thought

Have you ever sat down to write and you find yourself looking down at an empty sheet of paper as you struggle to find something to say? I found that with guided inspirational thoughts, I could write statements or prayers about that part of my life in a positive, more rounded way. I found that as I was inspired, I began writing inspirational kinds of things.

Working It Out

In Philippians 2:12,13; Paul tells the Philippians to work out their salvation. This is what a prayer journal is in many ways. It is the working out of everything in quietude in the presence of the Lord. I found that it is His desire to work in me and on behalf of His good purpose for me. Invite Him to be present with you as you work out these thoughts, prayers, inspirations on paper.

Resolving in Myself

I have this one journal prompt that is an invitation to a thought-provoking song. I remember listening to this song with great conviction. It begged the very question in me so strongly that I was resolved to not only be inspired by it, but to let it be the impetus in me to get up and do those things that I had desired to do for a very long time. It brought me to a place of resolution in which I could no longer stay in what I call the sleep-walking mode of life.

Wake Up

If you haven’t read my articles about Nehemiah and how he grieved over the broken ruins of Jerusalem, take a look at those articles. Be inspired by the process of waking up out of brokenness. Be inspired by more than that. Wake yourself up and make that first move toward personal growth and spiritual growth. In your resolve, wake yourself up out of slumber and reach for healing and growth, being an inspiration to yourself and those around you.

Inspire Others

You won’t readily know this, but as you are quietly working out your salvation before the Lord, making resolutions within yourself, and working them out, the people around you are noticing the difference in you as you begin to grow. Some of them will be inspired by what they see in you.

Now that you know more about writing in a prayer journal, you’re ready to begin without worrying about being too self-conscious.

Get my prayer journal today. Go find a quiet place. Start writing. If I can do it, so can you.

You can get my free 25 day Prayer Journal by filling out the subscription form on the right.

Weeping for the Broken: Part 4.4

By Donna

Rebuilding the Ruins: The Broad Wall or Refiner’s Fire

In Weeping for the Broken 4.3, we begin rebuilding the New Gate. It’s the process of beginning to practice our belief and stepping, or growing, into the newness of life. You know how the “old things have passed away and all things become new.” Another way of saying this is that the old self is put away and we become a new person. We begin rebuilding ourselves with the help and guidance of God’s word. It is the very beginning process of being rooted and grounded in the Lord. Now, in these next few verses, we are going to look a little deeper into the refining of our characters as we witness the rebuilding of the Broad Wall.

The Broad Wall: A Little Bit of History

In Nehemiah 3:8, we see that there is this broad wall in the process of being rebuilt. What is this Broad Wall that seems to be getting so much attention? The Broad Wall is a wall unlike the other walls surrounding Jerusalem. This wall is a very thick wall, about seven and a half yards thick. The other walls were not thick like this one. This wall was built during the war between Hezekiah and Senacharib in the late 8th Century B. C., and in saying that, there were houses that were torn down in order to build this wall up. (Isaiah 22:9, 10) Another thing that happened when this wall was originally built was that it shut off part of Jerusalem. Only the part of Jerusalem behind this wall was protected at the time it was originally built.

The Refiner’s Fire in Our Homes

Did you notice that homes were torn apart to rebuild the Broad Wall? It’s now time in our journey when we start sharing our faith with our family. Our family members are the ones who are closest to us and have known us all of our lives. They have been watching us as we have been going through the process of repentance and salvation in our lives. They have observed us witnessing to others in the community about this deeper faith of ours. They have lots of questions and some of those questions are not very nicely addressed. They don’t understand the changes in us. As we seek to respond in a fair way, we begin experiencing trials.

My Refiner’s Fire at Home

I remember when I began experiencing this refiner’s fire for the first time in my home. I was about twelve years old at the time. I had a foul mouth and I talked like everyone around me. I began experiencing these convicting feelings within myself. At that moment, when these feelings began, I decided that I wanted to quit cussing and talking like my peers. So I did just that. It was hard enough to change my language, but it was even harder when my family members questioned my identity as a result of it. I was labeled, “Miss Goody Two-Shoes,” and I was teased about being high and mighty. It was a struggle to continue with that good thing that God was working out in me. I continued to follow through with what I was feeling convicted to do. I learned that I could be okay talking clean around my peers and that they would just get used to the new me in time. It was just one small part of the refining of my character.

My Refiner’s Fire in the Local Community

Another time when I experienced this Refiner’s Fire was when I was attending a local community college and I had this great desire to grow spiritually. I decided that in my English classes, I would choose to write about things that would increase my spiritual growth. The one subject that my teacher and I agreed upon was the subject of The Holy Grail. I did all the research and learned about what people classify as the Holy Grail. I even learned about leaders in history who sought it out because they thought that Christ would impart special fountain-of-youth kind of powers into it. I got to the last paper that I was to write and I suddenly didn’t know what the truth was even though I knew what it was just a few days ago. I prayed and cried for two days asking God to reveal the truth to me. It was just a few hours before my paper was due and as I prayed again, reminding God that my paper was due, He showed me the truth so fast that I grabbed my computer and wrote it all down and completed my paper just in time. The truth that I learned was that The Holy Grail is a waste of time and effort. The true Holy Grail, if there is such a thing, is faith in Jesus Christ. Our faith does not belong to any object or any other person.

Purpose of the Refiner’s Fire

Every Refiner’s Fire trial that I have ever been through was meant to establish a righteous character and a righteous way of thinking. They were trials meant for my learning and overcoming. Most of all, Refiner’s Fire Trials are meant to increase and establish our faith in Christ. God is silent at times during trials and He works miracles at other times. Sometimes I have had a bitter heart toward the trials and have had to seek help to get to the place where I can walk forward in peace. Other times, I have experienced peace and joy during trials.

What About You?

Have you ever had those Refiner’s Fire moments when you realized that you had to learn something and grow in the face of adversity? Has it left you with healing and peace? Or has it left you with a bitter heart that you can’t seem to move forward from?

Tell me about your Refiner’s Fire Trial by writing to me at [email protected].

Weeping for the Broken: Part 4.3

By Donna

Rebuilding the Ruins – Continued

In Weeping for the Broken: part 4.2, we began rebuilding the Fish Gate. This is the place where, as we begin rebuilding our relationship with Jesus, He calls us to follow Him. And as we begin following Him, He takes us on the field trip of our life. Here is where He leads us in Paths of Righteousness illustrating to us what the Kingdom of Heaven is like. While watching and learning about the Kingdom of Heaven, we begin making decisions that are protection for us and for the people around us. We begin to learn who the helpers are and who the hindrances are. We begin to know who we can trust to help us grow. We begin to know who we can begin to privately counsel with on our journey and in our time of beginning to grow.

The Old City Gate

Now we come to the place where the Old City Gate is being built in Nehemiah 3:6. This is where the old broken down person that we are is rebuilt and made new. 2 Corinthians 5:17 expresses this so beautifully! “This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; and new life has begun!” (NLT) We become like the lame man who was healed in Acts chapter 3. This is the place where we are in an intimate relationship with Christ and as a response, we come to this place where we answer the call of baptism in the flesh and in the Holy Spirit.

The Old Made New

We, like the lame man, begin leaping and skipping and praising God for we know that we have such an intimate relationship with God that He has forgiven us and healed us of the things of the past…those broken down places are repaired. For some of us it is an instant healing. For others, it is a long drawn-out process. Some of us are able to be outward in our praises. Some of us are only able to praise Him to the heights of heaven, within the confines of our own minds, without the knowledge of anyone around us. Nevertheless, we are, in both circumstances, made new in our hearts and relationship with Christ.

Laying the Beams

As the beams of support and strength are laid through this intimate relationship with Christ, we are like the lame man who was forgiven and as we are filled with strength, we are able to stand with Christ and become strong in the strength that He has given us. He no longer counts our mistakes against us but leads us in His promises of strength and forgiveness. He is our friend and we walk in His counsels because we are able to discern and to hear His voice saying, “This is the way, walk in it.” (Isaiah 30:21, NLT)

Setting up the Doors

In Revelation 3:8, Jesus says, “I know all the things that you do, and I have opened a door for you that no one else can close. You have a little strength, yet you obeyed my word and did not deny me.” (NLT) With this little bit of strength, we have been reconciled with our Lord and Savior. Now we become ambassadors for Christ in this new life that we have been granted to walk with Christ as our friend and redeemer. This is where we are led into the kind of ministry that the Lord has promised us in His counsels with us.

Installing its bolts

Look at this blessing of Moses in Deuteronomy 33:24-26:

“May [you] be blessed above other [people];

May [you] be esteemed by your brothers [and sisters];

…May the bolts of your gates be of iron and bronze;

May you be secure all your days…

…There is no one like the God of Israel.

He rides across the heavens to help you,…

…The eternal God is your refuge,

And His everlasting arms are under you.” (NLT) [emphasis: mine]

This is like the promise that Jesus makes when He says, “Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; He will neither fail you, nor abandon you.” Deuteronomy 31:8 (NLT)

These promises are our sure strength! I can tell you that they have been my strength as I experience trials and come through them. I cannot claim that I have done anything spectacular but that the Lord has always been present.

Installing its bars

This is the place where all the strength and fortification we have in our relationship with Jesus enables us and leads us as we continue to interact with divine appointments and as we meet people who have been as broken as we have been and in similar places like where we have been broken. We are able to minister to the people that are brought into our lives for their healing. Remember how the ministry of Jesus is our ministry, too. He knows the people we need to reach for Him better than we do. We become to them as stars in the night sky as we give to them the things the Lord has given to us. These are one of the many references the Bible gives to us as “bearing fruits.”

Tell Me About Your Old City Gate

Have you had that experience where your Old City Gate has been rebuilt or is in the process of becoming a New Gate in your life? Romans 6:6 says, “We know that our old [broken] selves were crucified with Christ so that [brokenness] might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to [brokenness]. For when we died with Christ, we were set free from the power of [brokenness].” (NLT) [Word Adaption: Mine] If you have not made a decision to break free from the brokenness that holds you, would you make that decision today? If you have made that decision to break free from brokenness, are you willing to share your journey? Tell me about it in the comments below or write to me at [email protected]

Weeping for the Broken: Part 4.2

By Donna

Rebuilding the Ruins – Continued

In Weeping for the Broken part 4a, we discovered that the first place that rebuilding began was at the Sheep Gate which represents repairing our relationship with Jesus. This is the first thing that must happen in order for our restoration to be successful. Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. As we began building our relationship with Jesus, and started learning how to listen to His voice, He walked us through the beginning process of building up the boundaries in our lives. Last of all, we saw how the towers that we began building were representative of putting on the armor of God discussed in Ephesians 6. Today, we are continuing where we left off.

The Fish Gate

In Nehemiah 3:3, they begin to rebuild the Fish Gate. Look with me for a moment. It says, “They laid the beams, and set up its doors, and installed its bolts and bars.” (NLT) In personal healing, this is when as we have begun to walk with Jesus, that He begins to establish the principle of service within us. This is where I ended the Weeping for the Broken part 4a.

Follow Me

The Fish Gate is the place where Jesus calls us to follow Him. He has been our Good Shepherd in working in restoring our relationship with Him. Maybe we are still not to that place of complete healing yet. Do you remember when Jesus met with Simon (Peter) and Andrew as they were throwing a net into the water while they were fishing? He invited them to follow Him and He would make them fishers of men.

Rebuilding the ruins of the Fish Gate

While Jesus calls us into this new life of rebuilding the ruins, He begins rebuilding the mental, emotional, and spiritual structure within us. He shows us the love that He has for us and begins setting up divine appointments for us to share how His love is healing us. That’s not all. Can you even imagine what the bolts and bars might be?

The Bars

If you look back at Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 30, there’s this amazing picture of God bringing His people out of oppression and He brings them to a place where He begins telling them about what relationship is with Him. Both of these stories are rebuilding the foundations of a healthy relationship with Jesus and with our neighbors (the people near us at any given time.) I’m going to give these bars another name. They are tools in relational living that are the foundation of living at peace with ourselves, with God, and with others. Some people might refer to them as a type of board of education. This is also the place of learning how to care for ourselves and how it is a protection barring anything or anyone who seeks to do harm.

The Bolts

A modern word for bolt is lock. To ‘bolt the bars of the gates’ is the same thing as saying ‘to lock the doors.’ How do we lock in all this stuff that God is teaching us? We make decisions. When we’ve been through some kind of life experience that has broken us down, we become aware of an indecisive pattern in us and now as we begin getting help with a new foundation in learning how to care for ourselves, we are brought to moments where we find ourselves being faced with decisions about self-protection. Proverbs chapter 4 is all about wisdom and how to get it. Listen to what this father tells his son in verse 13: “Take hold of my instructions; don’t let them go. Guard them, for they are the key to life.”

The Helpers

Not everyone who comes into your life to help you will have the desire to do so even though God is calling on them for that purpose. In Nehemiah chapter 3, verses 4 and 5, we see a list of helpers who have come to rebuild the Fish Gate. In verse 4, we see that the helpers are doing the work that they came to do. However, when we look at verse 5, we see that these other laborers who were called are not working enthusiastically. In fact, they have attitudes that do not reflect the love of Jesus. It states that they are not working with the construction supervisors.

Distractions

People, including leaders in your life, who are not focused on building up their brothers and sisters in Christ, are a distraction. If you experience people who come to help you and they are doing more harm than good, realize that they are distractions from the work that you are working so hard to do for healing and restoration. I have found that I needed to make sure that my focus was not on the people who were not interested in rebuilding a healthy relationship. Instead, I have found that I needed to walk away from those relationships and keep my eyes focused on the plans and purposes that God has revealed to me through His Holy Spirit.

Construction Supervisors

So who are these construction supervisors? These are the people in your life who are for restoration and rebuilding. They are people who are willing to help you rebuild the broken down gates in your life. They are the counselors, pastors, teachers, friends, family, church members who have learned how to help you with kindness, love, and compassion. You will know who these people are when you meet them.

What About Your Fish Gate?

Have you been on a journey of rebuilding the ruins of relationships in your life? How is Jesus leading you? Has He brought you to begin making decisions for yourself in ways that you were not able to before? Has Jesus lead you to begin telling others of the wonderful things He has done for you? Tell me about it in the comments or write to me at [email protected].

Weeping for the Broken: Part 4.1

By Donna

Rebuilding from the Ruins

In Weeping for the Broken part 3, I wrote about inspecting your personal brokenness. Today, we are going a step further in the healing process. We are going to begin working on rebuilding the ruins. It’s not going to happen in a day and it’s not going to be without having battles to fight during the process. Remember, that God is with you and He is for your healing and will guide you through it. Now let’s get started with the building process.

First Things First – The Sheep Gate

In Nehemiah chapter 3, we see that the first thing they begin to rebuild is the Sheep Gate. This represents rebuilding our relationship with Jesus. In verse 1, we see that they didn’t just rebuild the gate, they dedicated it, set up its doors and then began to rebuild the walls. So why is this Sheep Gate so important? Notice what Jesus says in John 10:2, 7, and 9: “But the one who enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. … So He explained to them: ‘I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep. … Yes, I am the gate. Those who come in through Me will be saved.’” (NLT)

Restoring Relationship with Jesus

How do we even begin to rebuild this relationship with Jesus? How do we even ponder that we might hear His voice and be able to follow where He’s calling us to go? The key answer to these questions and more is to begin dedicating ourselves to time-out at least once a day. One way to begin is to read one verse or one chapter of the Bible at a time. When I did not know where to begin, I found that the book of Proverbs is full of all kinds of wonderful advice. For inspiration, you can also read Psalm 30 which was written by King David when he dedicated the temple. The beginning of hearing the Good Shepherd’s voice is to read what He has written to us in the Bible.

Setting up the Doors

When we’ve been hurt, and we cannot find a way to reconcile that hurt, it’s like our doors are broken down and we end up in a state of oppression. Psalm 30 is a great illustration of that oppression. However, when we begin listening to the voice of the Good Shepherd, He begins helping us to rebuild those gates that have become broken down. When we “rebuild the Sheep Gate” in ourselves and dedicate it to the Lord, He provides the Holy Spirit as our Helper and we begin to work together with the Holy Spirit to put up those doors that are broken down.

Building the Walls

When we learn to recognize the voice of the Good Shepherd, we will be able to listen to Him and recognize those voices that do not come from Him. This is the part when He calls us to follow Him. And as we follow Him, He helps us build up the boundaries that have been trampled down during the times of oppression.

Building the Towers

No city wall is complete without its towers. Towers are for the protection of the city. Can you imagine that as we listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit, and we begin working with Him to learn to use tools to rebuild broken down boundaries, that we get to this point where we begin learning how to build the towers of protection along those boundaries. This particular first tower, called the Tower of the Hundred, was not just built; it was dedicated. This is the same thing as putting on the armor of God. It directly relates to growth in our character, personality, and relationship with Christ discussed in Ephesians 6:10-18.

Working Together

Now we have this new experience as we begin walking with God, listening to His spirit, and dressing in His armor. We begin working with others who are walking in the same purpose that we are. As we are walking the walk of restoration and reconciliation in ourselves, God brings us together with others who are willing to walk with us and work together with us for the common purpose of lifting each other up. This is one of the ways in which we hear His call to follow Him.

Lifting Others Up

In verse 2, we see that the city of Jericho is helping the city of Jerusalem to rebuild its walls. This is what I mean by lifting each other up. We see people from two different towns come together in assistance, helping to build the walls and towers of Jerusalem. 1 Thessalonians 5:9a, says, “God chose to save us through our Lord Jesus Christ, not to pour out His anger on us.” (NLT) verse 11 continues with ,”So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing.” Just as we would rather forget the oppression that we have experienced, we are called not to bring that upon anyone else.

Only the Beginning

We began looking at our relationship with Jesus and learning how to be restored to Him again by building, or rebuilding, a real relationship with Him. In return, He comes by our side and teaches us moment by moment how to build each broken part of us. He fills us with His Holy Spirit and teaches us how to dress and walk in our spiritual armor. At the same time, He brings us together with people of like minds to work on rebuilding and restoration together.

How About You?

Has this article made an impact in your life? Has it inspired you? Are you working through the process of healing? Do you know someone who is? Tell me in the comments below if you have any questions or would like to share a part of your story. You can also write to me at [email protected].

Weeping for the Broken: Part 3

By Donna

Inspecting the Brokenness

Introduction: Bringing it Forward

In the previous article, I wrote about the discovery of personal brokenness. I walked you through the meaning of what it means to weep. I know that I wept when I discovered my friend’s personal brokenness. You can find that story in the first article of Weeping for the Broken. Today we are going to take a deeper look at going beyond the discovery of personal brokenness as we begin to inspect those places that are broken.

It’s Okay!

Did you know that it’s okay to inspect the broken parts of you and discover where they are broken? Notice that I didn’t say why. I briefly expressed the why in Weeping for the Broken – Part 2. Have you been told that a true Christian is never sad? Have you been told that you have not forgiven someone if you tell them that they hurt your feelings? Do not fear anyone who tells you these things. Right here in Nehemiah 2:2, we can clearly see that Nehemiah has already grieved and he is not able to bring his precious smile before the king as he is serving him.

Bring Your Burden Before the King of Kings

Here, Nehemiah praises the king and then expresses his burden. I remember when my friend was afraid as he was getting ready to go into surgery. I had called him at just the right time, and I was able to help him with his decision for Christ in that moment. I sang a song for him and asked him to make that decision that he had been putting off. We prayed together bringing his current burden before the King of Kings and he survived the surgery.

The Holy Spirit Goes Before You

In verse 7, Nehemiah asked the king if he would send letters to all the places that he needed to travel through on his way home to Jerusalem. The king did not spare anything to provide for his servant. In looking at this, I want to share with you a story. One day my car was broken down in a parking lot. I needed to call someone, but I did not have their phone number. So, I asked God if He would ask that person to call my phone. Can you imagine that within just a few minutes, that person called my phone, and I was able to get the help I needed. That is what it is like when the Lord helps us. He sends out His Holy Spirit to the people that we will be in contact with. He grants us peace with them for safe travels through healing. He also makes sure that we will have what we need as we ask.

The Army of Heaven is with You

As you begin your journey of healing and personal inspection, and you have brought your brokenness to God, He has not only granted you the Holy Spirit. He has provided an army of protection around you even if you cannot feel it or discern it. It is there! In verse 9, the king that Nehemiah served provided army officers and horsemen for Nehemiah’s protection. It was a wise and a good thing to do because as Nehemiah was on his way to inspect the brokenness of his home, we discover that two people were not happy about Nehemiah’s adventure. I’m sure you already know that there are people that are unhappy with you because you decided to address your brokenness. They see your decisiveness toward healing, and they are not for this kind of change in you.

Privacy During Inspection

Notice what Nehemiah does when he arrives home. He takes only a few handpicked people with him to inspect the broken places. He also expresses that he told not one person about the plans that God put in his heart for rebuilding and restoring Jerusalem. There is a time for everything and this time of inspecting the broken places in yourself is the time when you need to do so in private. That is when you can hear God’s voice instructing you as you come to each broken place. It’s not a time to expose or express it to others. If you have a licensed counselor who is helping you, this is part of that private process of inspecting your brokenness.

Be an Inspiration

Now notice in verses 16 -18 that Nehemiah announced his plans after he inspected the brokenness in private. He didn’t just make an announcement, though. He inspired the people present where the brokenness was, and they agreed that they were ready for the rebuilding of their home to begin. Let this beginning process of healing be an inspiration to everyone around you. I remember when my friend made his decision for Christ. He started watching inspirational shows on TV and he wanted to sing when I brought my family to visit. Let your growth be inspirational to people in your community.

Opposition Against Rebuilding

Remember when I said that there were people who did not want to see Nehemiah rebuild Jerusalem? Here come those people again to oppose his inspiring announcement and to make him, and the newly inspired leaders, question this great decision that they have made. Opposition will certainly be present when you make the decision to rebuild and restore the brokenness in your life. This is where you learn to put on the Armor of God to stand against anyone who would keep you from doing what God is calling you to do for healing and restoration.

A Simple Rebuke

Anyone who is against you in your personal growth and healing and restoration is essentially acting as an enemy to you. I want you to know that God is preparing a table before you in the presence of your enemies, and He will not allow them to pull you away from the mission that He has already granted you. Listen to what Nehemiah says to those opposers. He says, “The God of Heaven will help us succeed. We, His servants, will start rebuilding this wall. But you have no share, legal right, or historic claim in Jerusalem.” It is okay to remind people who are speaking against you that they don’t have that kind of authority over you or even a share in those things concerning your healing process. Always be kind and gentle even if they are not.

Conclusion

Always remember that brokenness is a personal thing. It’s okay to be sad sometimes. It’s okay to tell someone that they hurt you and to seek restoration of relationship. That is not an act of unforgiveness. It is an act of rebuilding and restoring relationship. So, bring your burden before the King of Kings and He will supply you with what you need to get started and will be with you through the whole process of healing. Remember to take time to inspect those moments of brokenness in private. It takes time to process these things. Inspire the people around you. If someone doesn’t like it, and is working to tear you down, they don’t have a share in your journey. It’s okay to express kind rebukes.

Inspiration to Share

How have you found Inspiration as you were inspecting a moment of brokenness? Did you find something in your journey that you could use to inspire someone close to you? Tell me about it in the comments below or write to me at [email protected].

Weeping for the Broken: Part 2

By Donna

Brief Introduction: A Continuation

In the previous article, I wrote a type of personal introduction to a type of experience that I observed in the book of Nehemiah. It was something that helped me with personal brokenness, and it is my desire that this would also be a help to you or your friend as you climb through the rubble and begin to allow God to put you back together again.

It’s a Personal Journey

This is the story of Weeping for the Broken. It’s a story that I’m going to tell in a modern way. In fact, I’m telling it in a very personal way. I want to share with you a journey of brokenness and the process of healing in a fresh way. It is my hope that you will be able to use this story for your personal healing or even for that of a friend.

The Broken Reach Out For Help

Nehemiah’s story begins with a visit from his brother and some friends who tell him how very broken down his beloved city is. They tell him that the city is broken down and that the people who are there are in trouble and are disgraced. The wall of the town is broken down and the gates have been burned by fire.

Brokenness

I’m going to put this into a personal narrative for you. Perhaps you have been going through troubles in your life and you feel disgraced. Maybe you’re not there now but maybe you have been there. After all the troubles you have experienced, perhaps, you come to this moment of realization that you are broken. You take a moment and assess your personal brokenness and realize that your boundaries are broken. Not just that, but you’ve been burned in the gates of your conscience where you give permission or refrain from it. You find yourself feeling as heavy as a two-ton weight. Perhaps, you begin to recognize that there are people who seem to suck the living energy from you. Perhaps, you are experiencing the brokenness of an unseen but very present war.

What Did Nehemiah Do? What Was His Response?

Let’s look at what Nehemiah’s natural human response was. In verse 4, it says that he sat down and wept. Weeping is very different from crying. Weeping is the expression of the agony of irrepressible grief and sorrow. Nehemiah was mourning as he prayed and fasted to the God of heaven.

Weeping for the Broken

Perhaps that is your experience of discovering yourself or your friend in a state of brokenness. It breaks your own heart, and you can’t help but weep and mourn for what was lost through the trials that you’ve just come through. You’re not your normal self and you realize that you don’t know how to get back to that. Perhaps you’ve lost your appetite for more than just food. Perhaps you’ve lost your appetite for everything that you ever loved. So now you sit down and weep for yourself or for your friend. And now, as you’ve been experiencing this for a short time, you begin to pray.

Note: What I’m going to do now is walk you through Nehemiah’s prayer. It’s not going to be for the same thing that he prayed for. This prayer is for you, my friend. This prayer is the beginning of your healing journey. This is how you begin to pray for your healing:

Reaching Out in Brokenness

O Lord, God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps His agreement of unfailing love with those who love Him and obey His commandments. Listen to my prayer! Look down and see me praying night and day for my brokenness or my friend’s brokenness. I confess that we have sinned against you. Yes, I know that I have sinned against You. I know that my friend has sinned against You. We have sinned terribly by not obeying Your commandments.

Remembering God’s Promises

Please remember that You said, ‘If I am unfaithful to You, You will scatter me among the nations. But if I return to You and obey Your commandments and live by them, then even if I become an outcast from among all my friends and family and everyone that I know, You will bring me back to the place of healing and to the peace of mind that You have chosen for Your name to be honored.’

Seeking Restoration

As You restore me by Your great power and strong hand, I am Your servant. Oh Lord, please hear my prayer! Listen to the prayers of those of us who delight in honoring You. Please grant me success today by bringing the right people into my life who are willing to help me build myself back up again. Even as they see me in my brokenness, put it in their hearts to be kind to me.”

Who are You? What is God Calling You to do? Where is He Calling You to Go?

Now you get up and do what it is you need to do. Nehemiah was the king’s cupbearer. What are you in your relationship with God, your heavenly Father? He promises that if you will spend time nurturing a relationship with Him by praying and reading His word, that He will come and be close with you.

In Jeremiah 29:11, God states that He knows the plans that He has for you. He has good plans and not plans for disaster. He wants to give you a future and a hope. Verse 13 says that if you will look for the Lord wholeheartedly, He will be found by you. He will gather you from the [brokenness] that you are splintered into. He will bring you home again to who you are.

Tell Me About It

This is just the beginning of what it means to weep for brokenness whether it is your own or someone else’s. In the next article, I will take a deeper look at Inspecting the Brokenness. For now, have you or a friend experienced brokenness? And what did you do about it in your grief? Did you reach out to God? Do you need help reaching out to God? Tell me about it below or share it privately at [email protected]

Weeping for the Broken

By Donna

Part 1 – Introduction

This morning I started reading the book of Nehemiah to begin my day and I was surprised to see that Nehemiah’s experience can be associated with what we feel and experience today. Then I decided to look at the headings of all the chapters and what I found was that Nehemiah can be read in a way that is much like a self-realization experience that brings us either back to God or just that it brings us in a closer relationship with healing before a mighty God.

I thought about listing the titles of the headings here but that is something that you have the ability to look up for yourselves. What I’m going to do is tell a story through the eyes of a personal experience with brokenness and bring it through the battles and upheavals of healing and restoration. Follow through these next articles with me in this series of Weeping For The Broken.

Personal Vision

This is just the beginning and the introduction of my story or the story that I see through Nehemiah’s experience. This is what I see when I look at the headings for each section through the book of Nehemiah.

Weeping for the Broken
The Broken Reach Out
Inspecting the Brokenness
Rebuilding From Ruins
Opposition of Frenemies
Personal Defense for Rebuilding
Continued Opposition during Rebuilding
The Broken Made Whole
The Broken Restored
Personal Education
Experiencing the Shelter of God’s Love
Confessing Our Own Sins
Decision to Obey
Personal Vows
The Lord Abiding Within
History of Personal Leadership
Dedicating the Wholeness
Provision for Personal Worship
Personal Reforms

These are just the things that stand out to me personally. They may not make sense to you just yet. As you continue reading what I see, I pray that you will be able to use it for healing in your own personal life or for your friends.

My Personal Story of Weeping

I want to tell my own personal story of weeping for the broken. This is my story of weeping for someone who was very broken. I wish that I could say that I was involved in their daily life but it was a physical impossibility. I know, though, it gives me greater opportunity to share with you that it was God’s work in answering my prayers and not anything that I have done beyond prayer and the bits of communication that we shared on a personal level.

My Prayer of Forgiveness

Several years ago, in the middle of the night, I was unable to sleep and so I got up and decided to pray. I found a quiet place in another room and as I began praying, I heard God ask me a very pointed question. This is what I heard. “Are you willing to forgive the person that I have put on your heart?” I felt a surprise within myself that I had not thought of this before even though I knew that I did not have positive feelings toward this one individual in my life.

I thought, “Wow! It has been a long time since I thought about this. I really should address it.” Then I said to God, “Yes. I’m willing to forgive my friend. I forgive my friend.”

Weeping in Prayer

In that moment, God’s reply came back immediately. He said, “Pray for your friend.”

So, as I began to pray for my friend, I began weeping like I have never wept or grieved in all my life. I wept so hard that my heart hurt. In fact, every time I thought of this person I prayed. And every night that I could not sleep, at the moment I began praying for my friend, I couldn’t even say anything because I entered a state of grieving like this…the weeping for a lost soul.

A Time For Rebuilding

God was not done with me yet. He used this situation to heal whatever was broken in my own heart and at the same time, He used me to reach out to this one person who walked away from Him because of his own broken heart and life experiences. I’m going to share a couple of examples of the way God used me to minister to my friend.

God’s Response to My Prayers

My friend had just went through the experience of almost dying on the operating table to remove a small tumor. When they were well enough to talk, they shared with me that it was the biggest wake-up call of their life. My friend had given up on trying to make things right with God because they didn’t think that they could come back to God. They thought it was too late because here they were toward the end of their life and they had done so much to walk the way they walked in life that they thought that there was no use going back. Little did they know that God was searching for this lost soul to be found.

Another time that I called my friend was when I heard God pleading with me to call them one evening. It just happened to be a time when they were about to have another operation and they were feeling uncertain and fearful. The future beyond this surgery was not guaranteed either. So I called my friend and God put a song in my mind that I shared. The song was called, “Oh, Why Not Tonight.” I sang the first verse of the song. We both felt the sure presence of the Lord in this moment. My friend survived the surgery.

Spiritual Restoration and Hope

Later, I traveled to see my friend in their home and I brought a set of Bible studies. I shared with them that I would like for them to see what I do. As we studied the first few lessons, they were foggy-brained and couldn’t stay awake. But as we continued through the lessons, they found that there was hope and they were filled with joy as they remembered that they had been involved in doing Bible studies with people in the community.

My friend accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior before they were laid to rest to wait for Jesus to come and call them from their grave.

This is just one of my experiences of weeping for the broken. God restored my friend’s spiritual self even though He did not restore their physical health. My friend died in the hope of salvation. This is what Weeping for the Broken is all about.

What is Your Experience?

Have you had an experience where you wept for someone who was broken? Feel free to share it in the comments or to send me an email at [email protected].

Oh Daughter Of God

By Donna

In Poetry

Why have you cast yourself down
Oh Daughter of the Living God?

Do not forget your crown!
Why do you let yourself be drowned?

Lift up your heart and cry out to God!
Stand as victor with Him,
     and in His peace be shod!

Rejoice and abide in the Living Crown,
Oh daughter of the Living God.

Why I Started Inspired Daughters Blog

By Donna