Pray More to BE a blessing than you pray FOR a blessing

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  NIV

   We trust and serve a sovereign God.  In the Scripture above, God is reminding the people of Israel that while it appears that their enemy has carried them into exile, God is the one who has allowed their enemy to do it.  God had not neglected them or forgotten about them.  He was watching over them and working in them through every circumstance of their lives. They were in this foreign city on purpose.

What did God ask them to do in this city?  He commanded them to seek  peace and  prosperity for the city of their enemies.  He commanded them to pray for this city’s prosperity. God wanted them to believe that he could bless the city through their presence in it. 

This simple idea is applicable to us today.  We tend to focus more on praying FOR a blessing, but God wants us to focus more on praying to BE a blessing. 

   

How often do you pray that you are a blessing to your city? 

What can you do, with God’s help, to bring peace and prosperity to your city?  This week, pray each day for God’s blessing in your city and the surrounding area.  Pray that people see that this blessing is from God so that they discover his goodness and trust in him.  As you pray, also ask God to guide you to be a blessing to your city and region.  We need a faithful presence in which God’s blessing overflows our lives and flows to everyone around us.