Day 1 of 7
Seek the Welfare of the City
Called to invest in the common good
Scripture Readings
Today's Reading
Read Jeremiah 29:4-7: "Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their produce. Take wives and have sons and daughters... 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."
Then read 1 Timothy 2:1-4: "First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way."
Reflection
The starting point for faithful citizenship is not a political party or a policy platform. It is a prayer and a posture: seek the welfare of the city where God has placed you.
Jeremiah wrote these words to a devastated people. Israel had been conquered by Babylon and dragged into exile. Everything they cherished — the temple, the land, their freedom — had been stripped away. They lived under a pagan regime that worshipped foreign gods. This was not a friendly environment. It was enemy territory.
And yet God told them to settle in, invest, and work for the flourishing of that pagan city. Build houses. Plant gardens. Raise families. And — most remarkably — "seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile." The Hebrew word for "welfare" is shalom — not merely the absence of conflict but the presence of wholeness, justice, and flourishing. God told his people to seek shalom for Babylon.
This is a breathtaking command. It means that faithful citizenship does not begin with opposition. It begins with investment. Before you critique your city, serve your city. Before you fight the culture war, plant a garden. Before you demand that society conform to your values, be the kind of neighbor everyone wishes they had.
Tim Keller frequently returned to this passage as a model for Christian public engagement: "If you truly get the gospel, you will be deeply concerned for the poor, the orphan, the refugee, the underclass. If you truly get the gospel, you will also be deeply concerned for moral and ethical standards. You will be neither a liberal nor a conservative. You will be something entirely different." The gospel produces citizens who care about everything God cares about — which is far broader than any party's agenda.
Paul's instruction to Timothy reinforces the point with a specific practice: pray. Pray for all people. Pray for kings and those in authority — even the pagan Roman emperors Paul lived under. Prayer for leaders is not a partisan act. It is a recognition that God is sovereign over all governing authorities, that those leaders need wisdom beyond their own, and that the peace and quiet of civic life is a gift worth asking for.
C.S. Lewis grounded this in everyday Christian duty: "The Christian is called not merely to pray for the world but to do the world good — to be a responsible citizen and a conscientious neighbor." This is the foundation: before anything else, Christians are called to be extraordinarily good citizens and extraordinarily good neighbors.
Going Deeper
This week, consider making Jeremiah 29:7 a daily prayer. Name your city, your neighborhood, your workplace. Ask God for its shalom — its wholeness and flourishing. Then look for one practical way to contribute to that flourishing: volunteer, support a local organization, get to know your neighbors, show up at a city council meeting. Faithful citizenship begins with presence, not protest.
Key Quotes
“If you truly get the gospel, you will be deeply concerned for the poor, the orphan, the refugee, the underclass. If you truly get the gospel, you will also be deeply concerned for moral and ethical standards. You will be neither a liberal nor a conservative. You will be something entirely different.”
“The Christian is called not merely to pray for the world but to do the world good — to be a responsible citizen and a conscientious neighbor.”
Prayer Focus
Pray by name for your city, your neighborhood, and your local leaders. Ask God to show you one concrete way you can seek the welfare of your community this week.
Meditation
What would 'seeking the welfare of your city' look like practically — beyond voting? Think about your neighborhood, your workplace, your schools.
Question for Discussion
God told the exiles in Babylon to seek the welfare of a pagan city that had conquered them. What does this imply about how Christians should relate to communities and nations whose values differ sharply from their own?