Do we 'Nehemiah' our City?

Hanani, one of my brethren, came, he and certain men of Judah; and I asked them concerning the Jews that had escaped, which were left of the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem. And they said unto me,
The remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach: the wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are burned.
And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven.
Nehemiah 1:2-4

Toledo, like many mid-west cities, is in trouble.

Toledo is in fact the 13th fastest shrinking city in America, we have an entrenched political climate, a failing public school system, and a community of civic leaders who seem to have an endless penchant toward examining the fuzz in their navel while the city we love teeters somewhere between broken and busted.

In the course of the next several posts I would like to develop with you the following, regarding Nehemiah's responsiveness to bad news concerning his home town.

Nehemiah;

• Received those who knew the condition of the city,
• Asked questions regarding the cities condition,
• Heard the news
• Sat down - stopped his normal and daily routine,
• Wept - openly expressing the pain of the news,
• Mourned the reality,
• Turned to God with fasting and prayer concerning the cities condition.

Do we 'Nehemiah' our city?

What do you think?

Dan Rogers