Pray For Your City

“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.” - Jeremiah 29:7 

About a month ago, my family and I adopted a sweet little Welsh Corgi puppy named Finley. In this turbulent year, he’s been a breath of fresh air. For many of us, 2020 has been one of the hardest years of our lives. And honestly, some of us have been freaking out. But Finley doesn’t have a care in the world. Finley’s not worried about COVID. He’s not worried about paying the bills or keeping food on the table. And he won’t be any more stressed out on November 3rd than he’ll be on November 2nd. He doesn’t CARE who wins the Presidential election. He’s oblivious to all of it. At times I’ve found myself thinking, “It would be kind of nice to be Finley.”

Wouldn’t it be great to be oblivious to all of the problems and stressors in our world today? Of course it would. But you know what? God has something even better planned for you and me: Peace and prosperity without needing to be oblivious.

In Jeremiah 29, the people of Judah had been exiled to Babylon where, basically, they were prisoners of war. It was the hardest thing they’d ever endured, they felt as if God had abandoned them. But through Jeremiah, God gave His people a fresh perspective on their captivity. They felt their situation was hopeless, because they had taken their eyes off of God and were instead focusing on their problems. All they could think about was how to get out of Dodge as quickly as possible.

But God wanted His people to understand that they were in Babylon because He had PUT them there. And He had put them there for a reason, a reason that was going to take a number of years to carry out .... 70 years, to be exact. So, God tells them in verses 5-6 to “build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too my have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease.” While 70 years in Babylon must have sounded like a downer, it was actually a message of true hope, because it was part of God’s master plan. And God’s plan is always the BEST plan for us.

In verse 7, God urges His people to get on board with His plan: “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.” It would have been natural for the exiles to feel bitterness and unforgiveness toward the Babylonians, because those are all parts of our old sinful nature. But the Jewish exiles were God’s people, and as such it was high time for them to stop living according to the flesh and start living according to the spirit. And the same goes for you and me.

When we have the Spirit of Jesus Christ living inside us, there is no room in our lives for bitterness, resentment, hatred or unforgiveness. There is no room for blaming everyone else for our problems. Instead of criticizing and blaming those who have made our lives difficult, God calls us to pray for their peace and prosperity. Some of us are harboring bitterness and resentment toward family members who have treated us like crud. Others of us are harboring bitterness and resentment toward political leaders who make decisions that we passionately disagree with. But let me ask you: Are you praying for them?

If you aren’t praying for them, why not? And if you’re praying for them to be arrested, or to get sick and die, that doesn’t count. Those are terrible prayers! God says, “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.”

You may not be crazy about the city you live in, whether it’s Victorville, Adelanto, Apple Valley, Hesperia or Phelan. But it’s where God put you, so you need to pray for it. If our hometown prospers…we too will prosper. Like many, I’m not too jazzed with California's Governor, Gavin Newsom, right now. I think he should declare all churches as “essential” and let churches in the High Desert get back inside their buildings. But regardless of how frustrated I am with him right now, that doesn’t change God’s command to me to pray for him and to seek his peace and prosperity. Because if Gov. Newsom and California prosper … we too will prosper.

Who ends up in office is important. But how Christians RESPOND to who ends up in office is even MORE important. It is both in our best interest and in God’s best interest that we seek the peace and prosperity of our city, our state, our nation, and the leaders who lead them. If America and its leaders prosper, we too will prosper. So this Tuesday, when new city council members and state and federal leaders are elected, there will be some new leaders you’re not crazy about. Who cares? Whether you like them or not is irrelevant. It doesn’t change God’s command to you to PRAY FOR THEM and seek the peace and prosperity of our city, our state, and our nation. Because if they prosper, you and I will also prosper.

Dane Davis is the Pastor of Impact Christian Church. Please join us for our live outdoor worship service Sundays at 9 a.m. at 17746 George Blvd. in Victorville. Or, join us online at 10 a.m. on our YouTube channel (Impact Christian Church) or on Facebook.

How Would Jesus Vote? (Part 1)

"Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne.” 

– Psalm 89:14

Two ladies met at church one day. We’ll call them Mary and Mabel. They struck up a great conversation after the church service and talked about getting together for coffee later that week. But as they made their way to the parking lot, each of them got the shock of her life.

Mabel was beside herself when she looked at the back of Mary’s car and saw a bumper sticker that said “Biden-Harris”. Mabel thought, “How on earth could this sweet Christian lady be a Democrat?” Meanwhile, Mary glanced at the back of Mabel’s car and almost blew her top when she noticed a Trump sticker. She shook her head in disgust and thought, “How could ANY Christian support Donald Trump?”

This scene repeats itself in some form or another every week across America. And there’s a reason for it. If you didn’t know it already, let me be the first to tell you: Jesus isn’t running for President. Neither is Moses, King David or the Apostle Paul. Instead, we have two flawed men running for president, and each one has certain strengths and certain weaknesses.

If Jesus was a registered voter in the United States today, I’m convinced that he wouldn’t be a registered Republican. I’m also convinced that he wouldn’t be a registered Democrat. You see, Jesus was NEVER one to join political parties. In 1st Century Israel there were political and religious parties: The zealots, the Herodians, the Pharisees, the Sadducees, and the Essenes. Which one did Jesus join? None of them! Jesus represents only one governing body—the kingdom of heaven.

Since Jesus isn’t running for office, when it comes to voting, followers of Christ have to do the next best thing. 1) Determine the heart of Christ on the issues, because Jesus DOES care about many issues that our government leaders deal with on a daily basis. 2) Prayerfully determine which political candidate, party, and propositions are most in sync with the heart of Christ. Now, let’s see how both the Republican and Democratic party platforms measure up to some issues that matter most to our Lord.  

In Psalm 89:14a, the psalmist summarizes God’s perfect government this way: “Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne.” When God rules, He always does what is right. And He always does what is just. So, any leader who is going to please the heart of God must also do what is right and just. When it comes to choosing our political leaders, every Christian should ask: “Will this candidate do what is RIGHT in God’s eyes?” And, “Will this candidate do what is JUST in God’s eyes?”

If you, like Mary and Mabel, have ever wondered how committed Christians could vote differently than you, consider this: Christians who vote Republican tend to identify with Christ’s heart for righteousness, while Christians who vote Democrat tend to identify with Christ’s heart for justice. If you keep this in mind, it will help you better understand your Christian brothers and sisters on the other side of the aisle instead of judging them.

Here are two policy positions in the Republican party platform that are Biblically RIGHT:

Policy Position #1: The sanctity of human life. The Republican party platform states, “the unborn child has a fundamental right to life which cannot be infringed.” The party supports state and federal efforts “against the cruelest forms of abortion, especially dismemberment abortion procedures, in which unborn babies are literally torn apart limb from limb.” On the other side of the life cycle, the Republican Party also stands strongly against all forms of euthanasia including physician-assisted suicide.  

Policy Position #2: Marriage and family. The Republican party supports traditional marriage. Their platform says, “Every child deserves a married mom and dad, and our laws and government regulations should actively promote married family life as the basis of a stable and prosperous society.” Although the Republican Party has largely caved to public pressure to accept gay marriage, their party platform supports biblical marriage between one man and one woman.

On the other side of the coin, here are two policy positions in the Democratic party platform that are Biblically JUST:

Policy Position #1: Ending poverty. The 2020 Democratic platform states: “Democrats remain committed to ending poverty and enabling all Americans to live up to their God-given potential.… Directing more federal investment to the communities most in need will help create jobs; improve and expand housing; modernize and expand transportation, clean water, wastewater, energy, and broadband infrastructure; and promote shared prosperity.” This is, without a doubt, a Christ-honoring, just goal.

Policy Position #2: Achieving racial justice and equity. The Bible is very clear that God does not show favoritism, and neither should his followers. So, there is no place for racism in the church OR in America. The Democratic Party is absolutely just in standing strong against racism in America. Now, personally I think that some of the Democrat’s policies for eliminating racism are not biblical at all. But the fact still remains: The basic policy position is biblically just.

As the election approaches, remember: As Christians we are called to lead people to Christ, not to an elephant or a donkey. Don’t allow your politics to sabotage your witness to unbelievers or your fellowship with believers. Our loyalty must be to Christ. So, do some research, and vote in line with the heart of Christ. Let’s do our best to vote for right and just leaders, and to pray for righteousness and justice in the hearts of those who are elected.

Dane Davis is the Pastor of Impact Christian Church. Please join us for our live outdoor worship service tomorrow at 9 a.m. at 17746 George Blvd. in Victorville. Or, join us online at 10 a.m. on our YouTube channel (Impact Christian Church) or on Facebook.