Thursday, June 5, 2014

A Heart for the City


Loving & Faithful Lord,

Have I been hiding in the suburbs?
It's safe and predictable on the cul de sac.
That's been a blessing,
But maybe there's a numbing effect?


Seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I carried you... 
(from Jeremiah 29:7)

Give me a heart for my city.
I leave at day's end.
I leave its challenges to others,
And I miss opportunities.


Commerce and culture percolate in the city,
Crime and poverty, too.
But you care for the city - for its people.

Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper. 
(from Jeremiah 29:7)

It may seem unlikely to this suburbanite, but my God is at work in the city. The apostles went to the cities of Asia and Europe.That's where the faith was established and spread.

In the Old Testament you sent prophets to the cities. Jonah was dispatched on a rescue mission to Nineveh. Jeremiah pleaded for peace and prosperity in Jerusalem. 

And today, we may be called to march around our own Jericho for the cause of justice.

Unless the Lord watches over the city, the guards stand watch in vain. (Psalm 127:1)

Give me a heart for my city, Father,
To engage, serve and advocate.
Amen.


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