Day 2 of 7
Seek the Welfare of the City
Exilic posture: engage without ownership
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. ... 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
Jeremiah 29 is one of the most surprising passages in the Bible — and one of the most relevant for Christians navigating politics today.
The context is crucial. Jerusalem has fallen. The people of God are in exile in Babylon — a pagan empire that destroyed their temple, killed their families, and carried them into captivity. False prophets were telling the exiles that God would overthrow Babylon quickly and bring them home. Jeremiah told them the opposite: settle in. Build houses. Plant gardens. Marry. Have children. You are going to be here for a while.
And then the stunning command: "Seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile." Not: seek the destruction of Babylon. Not: isolate yourselves from Babylon. Not: assimilate into Babylon. Seek its welfare. Pray for it. Work for its flourishing. Because — and here is the theology — "in its welfare you will find your welfare."
Tim Keller made this passage central to his vision of the church in New York City. He argued that Jeremiah 29 provides a model that is neither triumphalist (we're going to take over the culture) nor separatist (we're going to withdraw from the culture). It is what Keller called "faithful presence" — an engaged, contributive, prayerful involvement in the broader society that nevertheless maintains a clear identity as exiles.
This is the posture Paul echoes in 1 Timothy 2. Christians should pray for kings and rulers — not because those rulers are godly (Nero was emperor when Paul wrote this) but because their governance affects the conditions in which the church can "lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way." Prayer for political leaders is not endorsement. It is intercession. It assumes that God is sovereign over all rulers, even the unjust ones.
Augustine described this beautifully: "The Christian lives in the world not as owner but as guest — contributing to its flourishing while refusing to make it home." A guest contributes to the household. A guest respects the host. But a guest does not rearrange the furniture as though the house belongs to them. The Christian who treats America — or any nation — as "ours" has forgotten that we are exiles. The Christian who disengages from public life entirely has forgotten that God told the exiles to seek the city's welfare.
Going Deeper
The exilic posture is demanding because it refuses the two easy options: control or withdrawal. It requires engagement without entitlement, contribution without ownership, prayer without partisanship. What would it look like for you to seek the welfare of your city this week — not as a culture warrior, not as a political activist, but as an exile who genuinely wants the city to flourish?
Key Quotes
“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.”
“The Christian lives in the world not as owner but as guest — contributing to its flourishing while refusing to make it home.”
Prayer Focus
Pray for your city, your state, and your nation — not that they become 'Christian' but that they become more just, more merciful, and more open to the truth of the gospel.
Meditation
God told the exiles in Babylon to plant gardens, build houses, and seek the city's welfare. They were not told to conquer Babylon or to retreat from it. What does this 'exilic posture' look like for you in your current context?
Question for Discussion
Jeremiah told the exiles to seek Babylon's welfare — not to overthrow it, not to retreat from it, and not to assimilate into it. How does this 'exilic' model challenge both the Christian nationalist desire to 'take back' the culture and the progressive Christian tendency to simply mirror the culture?