Today, we would like to discuss and ponder the topic of ‘Employee loyalty’. Just recently, a few young people in the church mentioned it as a workplace reality these days. From time to time, we would hear about a friend who was retrenched the moment he reached middle age after working in the company for about twenty years.  On one hand, a lot of companies seem ‘heartless’ in terminating their long-term staff with hardly any room for negotiation. On the other hand, many enterprises place an emphasis on the loyalty of employees during recruitment.

Upon hearing the bad and sad news, we are told he did something about it. Nehemiah gave priority to spiritual discipline - prayer  - "...I sat down and wept. In fact, for days I mourned, fasted, and prayed to the God of heaven" (1:4). Observe the following: "I sat... wept.... for days...mourned...fasted... and prayed....to the God of heaven" (1:4).