What does is mean to pray for our city?
A city is many things – homes, schools, government, businesses, media, churches, community organizations – a web of relationships and endeavors. God told his people to “seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you….Pray to the LORD for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper” (Jer. 29:7).
While Nehemiah and the people were rebuilding the city, the enemies of the Kingdom of God noticed and decided to resist God’s work and the advance of His Kingdom. Nehemiah had to use wisdom and discernment to respond to the taunts, intimidation and subterfuge of those enemies who did not want to see Jerusalem rebuilt. God’s people had to work with a weapon in one hand at all times (Neh. 4:13-23).
Today, God’s enemies are still very real but our weapons are spiritual (2 Cor. 10:4). Nehemiah wrote, “Our God will fight for us!” (Neh. 4:20). Jesus promised that “the gates of hell shall not prevail against [His] church”, which includes His church in Durham (Matt. 16:18). Many things try to stand in the way of God’s Kingdom advancing in Durham. As Christians we are called to “pray without ceasing” and we can do this both indiviudally and corporately for the City of Durham.
One way that we seek God corporately for the city is during the National Day of Prayer Service every May. In 2011, we held our National Day of Prayer Service at the Duke Chapel. It was a wonderful time of people from many different Christian communities in Durham, coming together for a common goal: to speak blessing of the City of Durham.
Individually, we can take spiritual ownership of our city streets by covering them in prayer. BlessDurham has launched a new initiave this year with the goal of covering all the streets in Duham with prayer. It’s a simple concept, easy to do, and the ramifications are endless. What would happen if every street, every home, every business, every public building was prayed over on a regular basis? Find out more here.
