Hometown Tour.

Sometimes we can go through our days and never take stock of what we really have. I am posting some of the special places we have enjoyed in the years. It is a tour of our hometown in Demopolis.

The first Thursday of May is National Day of Prayer. This year many of us joined together downtown at the gazebo to pray for our nation, our city and our leaders.

This year we had a great turnout. The ministers of the city led us in prayer. It was a moving experience to see men and women from all walks of life in our town come together on common ground. Since that day, I have thought about how much we need to continue to pray and lift up our leaders and those in authority over us.

While studying for our ladies bible study, I ran across a verse in Jeremiah 29:7. It has played over and over in my head.

Here’s what God told Jeremiah

“But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.” NASB

Jeremiah 29:7 New International Version (NIV)

7 Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.”

Seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile. Seek peace and prosperity for living in our city! That’s what we all want, right? Peace and prosperity.

Now I personally do not feel I am in exile here. This is my hometown. My family and friends are here. I have their support. I like to think I contribute to my hometown. But do I seek the welfare of the city and pray to the LORD on its behalf. If I am honest and transparent I have to say not all the time. I say a God bless us here in Demopolis. But that isn’t really seeking her welfare and praying for peace and protection and intervention in the evil that is all around this world.

We have had God’s protection from a lot of the bad in the world. I know without a shadow of doubt there our those of you who stand as watchmen for our city. I am very thankful for our prayer warrior around this city.

It is God who has placed us where we are in the world. Our times and boundaries are set by His design and His plan for us. We read this in Acts 17: 26.

Acts 17:26 “ and He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation,”

God has established our appointed times and the boundaries of our habitations (our places of residence) You may think you have been exiled here to a small town in rural Alabama. You may wish you could move out and live somewhere else. But what you would find is the restlessness you feel here will follow you.

We need to do as Daniel and Jeremiah did in their years of exile. They trusted God. They lived their lives being a witness of what God can and will do in difficult circumstances.

If we want our places to be filled with peace and prosperity, we need to make a point of praying for our city and her leaders.

We need to find where God wants to use our gifts for His kingdom here.

We are fortunate to live in a place where our children can play in the park without fear.

We are fortunate to live in a place where our city provides nice places for our children to play baseball, and soccer.

We have some wonderful places of worship where  we can join to worship with friends from many denominations.

Is it perfect? No. Do we have problems? Yes. Are we isolated from the problems of the world? No. There are still families with problems, drugs and alcohol abuse and many many other issues. There will be no perfect city until we reach that city made with streets of pure gold. Can we pray for each other, our leaders, teachers, ministers and families? We should! But are we?

I am thankful that God placed me here to raise my family. I am grateful that He has protected us in so many ways. I believe with all my heart it is because we do have people who continuously pray for the welfare, (peace and prosperity) of our city.

Paul gives Timothy a reminder for us to pray for our leaders and our governments.

Timothy 2:1-3 The Message (MSG)

2 1-3 The first thing I want you to do is pray. Pray every way you know how, for everyone you know. Pray especially for rulers and their governments to rule well so we can be quietly about our business of living simply, in humble contemplation. This is the way our Savior God wants us to live.

God of This City Chris Tomlin