Skip to main content

God’s Love for Cities


Civilization is God’s idea. Cities are vital to God’s plan for the world. Jesus taught us to pray that His Kingdom would come (Matthew 6:10). Why? How does God want us to love cities and His Kingdom as much as He does?
God loves, loves, loves Jerusalem! There is no doubt that the place on this earth most sacred to God is Jerusalem. Jerusalem is still the center of the nation of Israel to this day, though it was hundreds of years after the Israelites went into the Promised Land before they captured this city.
What was Chris Tomlin thinking about when he wrote these lyrics?
You're the God of this City
You're the King of these people
You're the Lord of this nation
You are …
For greater things have yet to come
And greater things are still to be done in this City
Greater thing have yet to come
And greater things are still to be done in this City
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d61LamkXfwk&noredirect=1
Was he connecting to the heart of God for the city? Was he getting what Jesus meant when He threw in this line to pray that God’s kingdom would come? How would we even know to pray like that if Jesus hadn't told us to? How would we know how important the city, the kingdom of God, is?
I would be ignorant of the importance of the city had God not pointed this out for me. It’s like a wake-up call to my soul every time I pray it. I start wanting something that I never dreamed possible. It makes me want something only God could show me that I want. I want a kingdom. I want a city. I want a civilization that is centered on God and what He wants. As I pray this phrase of the prayer Jesus taught us to pray, Thy kingdom come, I begin to imagine what could be. I stop being restricted by what I know of civilization. The best civilization that man can come up with is so far from what I really want. Where all human governments and civilizations fail me, there is one that I long for. I want God’s Kingdom to come. I want to be a part of God’s City.
I love it that David was the man who conquered Jerusalem. It was one of the easiest cities for David to conquer. Despite its seemingly strong defense, it had a simple flaw that no one before David could figure out. There was a way to walk right into the city by use of the water shaft. David did what the others had attempted but could not accomplish. David conquered the city of Jerusalem through totally giving His heart to God. The civilization we long for begins in our heats. We need to long for God’s kingdom.
Greater things are yet to come, and greater things are yet to be done. We are reminded of this each time we plead with God that His Kingdom come. We want what we have never had and can never get from human civilizations, we want God’s Kingdom! It’s a prayer that breeds hope, purpose and desire for what we need but do not have.
Copyright © 2011. Deborah R. Newman www.teatimeforyoursoul.com All Rights Reserved.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A Pilgrimage that Started with Tears

                Who would think I would shed tears deciding to set out on a wonderful journey that I have longed to take for many years?   Before I was ready to fully accept God’s invitation for a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, I had to journey to a place of agreement between what my soul wanted and what the Lord wanted for me.   For years I have been declining opportunities to travel to Israel—not because I didn’t want to go but because I wanted to go with my husband by my side.   I know that God could have arranged that for me, but instead He asked me to accept that He wanted me to be willing to go and leave everything behind.   When I was asked to make a decision about going on a Pilgrimage to Jerusalem, God gave me this verse in answer to my prayer -- Debi, observe therefore all the commands I am giving you today, so that you may have the strength to go in and take over the land that you are cr...
2 comments
Read more

Jesus from the Cross

May you experience a holy Holy Week…I participated in daily Holy Week devotions at my church.  You can watch and reflect on the video devotions about Jesus Seven Sayings from the Cross each day at:  http://www.pcbc.org/worship/easter/holy-week-devotionals/ Jesus from the Cross               Jesus’ journey to the cross was extraordinarily short, yet it transformed death from being eternal to only temporary. He literally trampled death by death.   Jesus was arrested around 1:30 a.m.; and by 3:00 p.m. that same day He was dead.  In less than 14 hours He was tried by illegal courts, flogged, walked the 650 yards to Golgotha, the place of the skull, crucified on a cross and died.  Though God asked so much of Him, He would not permit the suffering to last one minute longer than necessary. Jesus hung on the cross from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m.  Those were probably six of the longest hours of ...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Bliss of Knowing You are Loved by God

            There is bliss of knowing that you are loved by a real and intimate God.   I have felt that bliss. I don’t experience it all the time and sometimes it takes me a while to notice how much I miss it.   Often I come back to my senses when I read the spiritual writings of one who is explaining how great God is and I am reminded how good He is to me.               I suppose the saints stayed more connected to the bliss of God on a regular basis and missed it far less than me.   I wish I knew their secret; all I can tell you is that it is a cycle for me to find myself unaware of God for a time.   It is often a struggle to reconnect each day. What brought me to my senses recently was a huge blessing He sent my way.   This good thing literally came to me directly from the hand of God.   I didn’t even consider sharing the joy I was ...
Post a Comment
Read more