Pain and Action

I was speechless and quiet;
I kept silent, even from speaking good,
and my pain intensified.
My heart grew hot within me;
as I mused, a fire burned.
I spoke with my tongue:

“Lord, reveal to me the end of my life
and the number of my days.
Let me know how transitory I am.”
(Psalm 39:2-4 HCSB ©®)

One reason Nehemiah was appointed to leadership by Yahweh is because he allowed himself to be driven to passion by Yahweh.

The words of Nehemiah son of Hacaliah:
During the month of Chislev in the twentieth year, when I was in the fortress city of Susa, Hanani, one of my brothers, arrived with men from Judah, and I questioned them about Jerusalem and the Jewish remnant that had returned from exile. They said to me, “The survivors in the province, who returned from the exile, are in great trouble and disgrace. Jerusalem’s wall has been broken down, and its gates have been burned down.”

When I heard these words, I sat down and wept. I mourned for a number of days, fasting and praying before the God of heaven.
(Nehemiah 1:1-4 HCSB ©®)

Nehemiah allowed pain (passion) to influence him to commitment and action.