“Also, 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)
The Hotel Mentality
How do you see your new city?
For many of us, the relationship is purely transactional. We see Ottawa, Houston, or London as a resource center. We are here to extract value – a good salary, a safe education for the kids, a stable currency. We treat the city like a hotel: we sleep here, we use the amenities, but we don’t really care about it. We keep our bags packed, emotionally speaking.
We pray for our family back home. We pray for our personal visa status. But we rarely pray for the city council, the local schools, or the police force of our new home.
The Counter-Intuitive Command
God smashes this “Hotel Mentality” in Jeremiah 29. Speaking to exiles living in Babylon – a city that was technically their enemy – He commands them to do the unthinkable: Pray for its success.
He tells them to stop cursing their new location and start blessing it. He tells them to stop isolating and start interceding.
Notice the logic God uses: “…because if it prospers, you too will prosper.”
God has knit your destiny together with the destiny of your new neighbours. You cannot flourish if the community around you is crumbling. If the local schools fail, your children suffer. If the local economy tanks, your job is at risk. If the streets are unsafe, your peace is stolen.
Your Spiritual assignment
You are not just a resident of this city; you are its appointed intercessor.
God placed you here on purpose (“the city to which I have carried you”). Your presence is meant to change the spiritual atmosphere. Your prayers should be the invisible scaffolding that holds this city up.
When you start praying for the mayor, the transit system, and the homeless shelters, you stop feeling like a victim of the system and start feeling like an ambassador of the Kingdom.
🛡️ The Diaspora Challenge
Action steps for your journey today.
- The News Audit: Open a local news app or website for your current city. Read one headline about a problem (crime, housing crisis, political argument).
- The Prayer Pivot: Instead of just getting angry or worried, turn that headline into a prayer. “Lord, I see this housing crisis. I ask for wisdom for our city planners to solve it.”
- The Commute: As you drive or take the bus today, pray a blessing over the specific streets you travel on.
🙏 A Prayer for the City
Sovereign Lord, I confess that I have lived here with a disconnected heart. I have taken from this city but rarely given back in prayer. Today, I adopt the Jeremiah Strategy. I speak peace over [Name of Your City]. I ask for wisdom for its leaders and safety for its streets. May this city prosper because Your people are in it. Amen.
This is Day 16 of The Diaspora Devotional series by Andrew Airahuobhor. [Get the full Collection Here]