The city is a beautiful phenomenon. Much life, rich diversity, industries, hustle and bustle, people interacting in a wide array of ways are all familiar traits of the city. As I sit at a coffee shop in the big apple I can’t help but reflect on the metropolis.
God has much to say concerning the city. A city is often treated as a personality in the Bible. Cities are seen to have a purpose and God given responsibilities that demand accountability. Think about the city in which you live in. What is its God ordained purpose? Why was it built? Where has it succeeded? In what ways has it being derailed from its goal?
Old Testament Jerusalem was a beautiful city situated on the hilltops in a land that was blessed with much abundance. God ordained this city for his ultimate goal – world evangelization. This would happen on 2 levels, naturally through its prosperity, it would signify the crowning achievement of a divinely controlled nation, provoking the nations to seek God. Spiritually it would be the centre of Christianity, disseminating the gospel to the world via the death and resurrection of Christ.
Jerusalem however fell short of its mission in the Old Testament, leading to its destruction. The prophets speak of much factors that led to the fall of Jerusalem, that are strikingly similar to what plagues our cities today. Family instability, abuse, violence, crime, systemic oppression, social injustice, lust for power and religious apathy and pluralism are only a few of the items that indicted Jerusalem.
As we reach our cities for God today, what can we glean from Jerusalem? Which one of the ills facing your city has God burdened you, and what are you doing to change things?
May God empower you as you take on the challenge of healing your city, allowing God to be glorified.
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