“O Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of your servant, and to the prayer of your servants who delight to fear your name, and give success to your servant today, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man.” —Nehemiah 1:11

There is a dangerous prayer that will make you a threat to Satan’s dark schemes in the world today. It’s a prayer that will position you like an arrow in the hand of God, the perfect Archer, flexed with a readiness to make a mark in these times rather than missing your opportunity to make a difference. And it goes something like this:

God, break my heart for the things that break yours.

That is the number one qualification for the person God uses in unimaginable ways. Major spiritual breakthroughs always begin with one broken heart. There may be others who are more trained or more gifted, but kingdom advances that happen “on earth as it is in heaven” come to the heart broken for the things that break God’s heart. This has always been the catalyst for history-changing movements.

We see this in the life of Nehemiah, who had no idea how he was going to end up leading a missional movement to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem and revive hope for a people whose heritage had been reduced to a pile of rubble. Nehemiah knew the bloodstained history of Jerusalem—the Babylonian invasion, the death of innocent children slain in the streets, the effacement of her moral and spiritual values, the killing of the prophets who tried to turn the people back to God. When Nehemiah gets the news that remnants of exiles are “in great trouble and shame,” he is a thousand miles away, nestled in the safest place in the world at that time—serving in the secure palace of the most powerful empire of that era. 

Nehemiah could’ve “safely” offered a short prayer for the hurting souls and changed the channel. After all, Monday Night Football was about to start… or something like that. He sleeps in a five-star penthouse in the most secure quarters of the Persian Empire.  As servant in the king’s palace, he daily feasts on the most delectable entrées and is the first to sample the finest wines each evening. He’s got a great job! Yet amid all this comfort, luxury, and security, Nehemiah’s spirit is crushed, and his heart is broken for what has broken God’s heart.

Henri Nouwen said, “Let us not underestimate how hard it is to be compassionate.  Compassion is hard because it requires the inner disposition to go with others to a place where they are weak, vulnerable, lonely, and broken. But this is not our spontaneous response to suffering. What we desire most is to do away with suffering by fleeing from it or finding a quick cure for it.”

In my book Shapers: Leadership That Restores Hope, Rebuilds Lives, I sum up the word “compassion” this way: compassion is letting God break your heart for what breaks His, and demonstrating a readiness to do something about it. We see this virtue woven in the threads of Nehemiah’s consistent prayer life and deliberate actions.

Little time in the prayer closet leads to small compassion. If you really want to be used by God, it all begins with the efficacy of your prayer life. The first thing Nehemiah did after his heart was broken wasn’t to call a committee meeting or plan a program. He says, “As soon as I heard these words I sat down and wept and mourned for days, and I continued fasting and praying before the God of heaven.”

Nehemiah prays to “the great and awesome God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments.” He goes on to confess the sins of his people, pleads for the outcasts of Jerusalem, and leans into God’s promise to bring them home from the uttermost parts of the earth. But the last piece of his prayer speaks volumes about Nehemiah’s real heart posture. He says, “give success to your servant today, and grant him mercy in the sight” of the king. He is praying for favor because he expects to get up off his couch and do something about it. His heart has been broken, and now he is about to act upon it.

If you know the rest of the story, God uses Nehemiah in a miraculous way to lead a mission movement that rebuilds the city walls in fifty-two days, restoring dignity to a disgraced people, reviving hope, rebuilding faith, resurrecting dreams, and rewriting futures —all while facing hostile opponents who even plotted an assassination attempt on Nehemiah.

If you want to leave a mark on the world today for the glory of God, you will also have a mark on you. That’s what makes this prayer so dangerous. Yet God’s promise is greater: “Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the LORD your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.” Think about that as you seek to abide in Him this week.

PRAYER

Heavenly Father, break my heart for the things that break yours. Give me real compassion for the brokenness, and the courage needed to act deliberately enough to make a difference. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Questions for Personal Reflection or Group Discussion:

1. When has your heart been broken for someone else’s pain?
2. How would you define compassion?
3. What are some of your takeaways from Nehemiah’s prayer?
4. What “sins of your people” can you confess to God?
5. In what way do you sense God breaking your heart for what breaks His?

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