Pray For Your City

“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 

“Pray for the peace of your city, for in its peace you will have peace. The church that forgets to pray for its city forgets its mission.”A.W. Tozer

God has given me a real heart for Hammond, Louisiana—the city where He’s planted me. For three years, a few of us have prayed weekly in a public park here. That simple act has deepened my love for this place and its people. I’m not from here, but God has burned a burden in me for its welfare.

This morning I felt convicted—I wasn’t praying enough. So I found a photo of downtown Hammond and saved it in my notes app to see every time I pray.

We can’t retreat from cities. Too many Christians flee discomfort for “better” places. But God places us as agents of change. Jesus brings beauty from ashes, and we are His ambassadors of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:20). A good plan won’t save a city—praying people who stay and act will.

Pray for the peace (shalom) of your city. Your welfare is tied to its welfare. You don’t need to go to Iraq to be a missionary. Go to your grocery store, school, or local nonprofit and bring the gospel. Change your neighborhood. Change your city.

That’s how we turn a nation back to God—one person, one neighborhood, one city at a time.

Pray. Stay. Reach. Watch God move.

Have a great day making your city more like heaven!