What has the season of crisis really exposed in your life, strained relationships, a neglected prayer life, an emptiness you cannot quite name? This sermon opens a series about rebuilding and takes us to Nehemiah (Nehemiah 1-2), who sat down and wept at the news of Jerusalem’s ruined walls, then repented and held on to God’s promises. It turns out that rebuilding a relationship with God begins not with action, but with honestly facing the scale of our own collapse. Listen and take the first step toward rebuilding what now lies in ruins.
Discussion questions
For your small group or for personal reflection after the sermon.
- Nehemiah hears that the walls of Jerusalem are broken down and the gates burned, and he sits down, weeps, fasts and prays. Why did this news move him so deeply, even though he had never seen Jerusalem?
- The sermon described the ruined walls as a picture of the broken relationship between God and His people. How do you understand that picture, and what might it have meant for the people of Jerusalem who looked at those walls every day?
- In his prayer Nehemiah says "we have sinned" and includes himself and his father's house, even though he was born in Persia. What does his willingness to take responsibility instead of making excuses teach you?
- According to the sermon, the way back to God leads through the valley of repentance to the hill of trusting God's promises. Why must honestly naming what is broken come before holding on to the promises?
- Nehemiah relies on God's faithfulness, and God works through a Persian king who had no interest in rebuilding the walls. How does that change the way you see the difficult circumstances you are facing right now?
- The pandemic exposed many strained relationships, including with God and with people in our community. What is one area of your life you want to name honestly before God this week and begin to rebuild?
