Friday 8th April Daily notes from The Hub

v 3. They said to me, “Those who survived the exile and are back in the province are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire.”

The first exiles had been back in Jerusalem for around a century and the Temple had been rebuilt, but nothing had been done to make the city secure by rebuilding the walls. Nehemiah heard of this and was determined to do something about it. V 4 tells us that Nehemiah mourned, wept, fasted and prayed. He was serious about praying; it is not helpful to think of prayer as a last resort when all else has failed!