There are some great lessons to be learned from the writings of Nehemiah. Nehemiah was in mourning because the wall of Jerusalem had been broken down and its gates burned with fire. 

Can we make connections to today?  Have the "walls" of many of the established churches been broken down?  Have the "gates" been compromised?  Does this have anything to do with compromising the truth at the risk of being politically incorrect?

At the time that Nehemiah heard about the wall he was in the area of Susa (southwest Iran today). 

Nehemiah has given us an excellent prayer model in Nehemiah 1:4-11a.  

Nehemiah held an important position with the king and surely was respected and trusted by the king. Again King Artaxerxes shows his moral character by noticing the sadness displayed by Nehemiah and offering to let him go to Jerusalem. If you will notice when Nehemiah came before the king, he prayed in the presence of the king,  Could this have been the reason that the king was favorably disposed to letting Nehemiah go?  

And again the leaders of Trans-Euphrates get a letter telling them to give safe passage to yet another Jewish refugee and to provide supplies.

When Nehemiah told the leaders about the ruins of the walls of Jerusalem, he inspired them to rebuild the wall.

Scripture next details the division of labor on the rebuilding of the gates. Why such detail? Could it be a reminder that each of us has a part in the Lord's work? Do we sometimes think that our part is insignificant? God doesn't think so.