City

“Afflicted city, lashed by storms and not comforted….”

He will build you a strong and beautiful foundation. Sapphires. And your wall? Precious stones. (Isaiah 54:11-12)

Then, that word mothers hear. And sigh in relief.

“All your children shall be taught by the Lord, 

and great shall be the peace of your children.” (Isaiah 54:13)

Hope. For the city of Zion.

City darkness

From this image, my thoughts turn. To urban centers. Growing all over the world.  

And attempts to reach the multitudes. People from many nations fill the streets. And high rises. Sprawling suburbs and slums.

Easy to lose heart in the sheer magnitude of city darkness. 

Complicated by constant change. 

Shifting government. 

Infrastructure struggling to meet demand.

Population multiplying, outpacing city planners.

Vision

You care about the city. You see the complexity. And each individual.

Help me see them with Your eyes, Lord. Give me vision for the afflicted, finding wholeness. 

Storm-ridden. 

Earthquake-broken. 

Success-driven. 

Finding true abiding peace. Stability on the Rock.

Power of the gospel

May nations we do not even know, hasten to the city. And encounter the power of the gospel. 

Because of the Lord our God. 

“And the Lord said, ‘…So may I not care about the great city of Nineveh, which has more than a hundred twenty thousand people who cannot distinguish between their right and their left…?’”
Jonah 4:11

What about you?

How do you pray for your city? How do you pray for the cities of the world?

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Crowds – Ancient walls – Cup of water – Summer heat – Safest place – River of life – Night sky – 

Isaiah 54:11-14 – Isaiah 55 – Jonah 4 –