14 Days of Prayer for Redeemer - Day # 3 - Love our City

Day # 3 - God, may Redeemer Church love our neighbors, our community, our city.  May we engage our culture with the Gospel, not withdraw to our 'holy huddle'.   


Jeremiah 29:7 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. 


Jeremiah 29:7 is only four verses away from the oft quoted, faith encouraging, Jeremiah 29:11, " For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope." 

Many Christians, including me, have claimed Jeremiah 29:11 during difficult times in our lives.  It is a beautiful promise of God's sovereignty and faithfulness.  Just four verses prior, God commands the people of Israel to seek the welfare (Hebrew shalom - peace) of Babylon during the exile.   I pray at Redeemer that we trust, and lean hard on the Gospel (14 Days of Prayer for Redeemer Day #1 & Day #2), while we seek the welfare for our city.  

I have had the privileged of seeing a wonderful testimony of this throughout my youth.  My father, Ronald McDonald (no joke!) worked at Klein Forest High School in Houston, TX for two decades.  KFHS is not an easy school.  Racially, socio-economically, culturally diverse, KFHS provided many trials during his career as a guidance counselor.  

Throughout his time at KFHS, my dad loved his city.  He found hope and promise in the gang-bangers, he cared and supported the teen mothers, and he even supported the establishment of a Muslim student group while teaching ninth grade Sunday School at his Southern Baptist Church.  My dad owned his school.  Their triumphs, failures, shortcomings and difficulties were his.  In everything he saw the need for the Gospel and the beauty of the Gospel at work.  

I pray that at Redeemer Church, we will own, buy into, support, our city as my father loved KFHS.  Thank you dad for the great testimony of your life! 

Grace & Peace
Andy