17 – Pray for Your Community | 21 Days of Prayer 2025

17 – Pray for Your Community | 21 Days of Prayer 2025

Seek the peace and prosperity of the city… Pray to the Lord for it.
Jeremiah 29:7

When God’s people had been defeated by their enemies, and most of them had been carried away into exile, God spoke through the prophet Jeremiah. Jeremiah was one of the lowly manual laborers who had been left behind to work the ground on behalf of their enemies. But God spoke through Jeremiah to send a message to his people who were living in captivity far away from home.

They were crying out to God, asking when he would rescue them and bring them back home.

God’s response? Not yet.

God promised that he would rescue them, but not for 70 years. But that was because he had a purpose for them living in captivity. He wanted them to be a witness and a blessing to that area in order to point back to His glory.

So he told them to invest, plant crops, marry off their children, pray for the place they lived and work together for it’s good.

Today, it can sometimes feel like we are living in exile. The culture around us isn’t always kind to our faith. The values of our neighbors don’t always align with our own.

But God’s answer isn’t to sweep in and carry us away. Often, his answer is to work through us to bring his presence and kingdom to the place we live.

Today’s truth: your prayers impact the place you live.

Do This: Walk outside or look out your window and pray for your neighborhood for 5 minutes.

Closing Prayer: God, bring peace and blessing to my community.