A prayer for the city is a model of “prayerful advocacy” that moves beyond lament and sorrow to call us to action–action rooted in prayer. It acknowledges that our cities are not only places of violence, but also places where people gather and worship, struggle over justice, and celebrate life. These interwoven themes — lament, justice, and celebration — frame a dynamic template for prayerful action.
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A Prayer For The City Pdf
Prayer is a powerful thing. It can change the world and it can change you.
Today, I am going to pray for the city I live in. I will start with myself, because if I am not whole inside, how can I be whole outside? Then I’ll pray for my family, who inspire me every day to be better than yesterday. Then my friends, who encourage me to find my voice. Then the city itself—the trees and buildings, the people and animals—and finally, all of us together: me and you and everyone else who lives here too!
May this prayer bring us closer together as we work toward creating a better tomorrow for ourselves and for others too!
In the year 2020, it’s expected that the world’s population will reach 8 billion people. That means there will be 2 billion more people than there are today.
It also means that there are 2 million more mouths to feed, 2 million more people who need a place to live, and 2 million more brains to educate.
This is not a problem that can be solved by any one person, but it IS a problem that can be solved by all of us working together.
Let’s take care of each other—and let’s get started now!
A Prayer For The City
A city is a place where people come together, where they live and work. Cities are places of commerce, of industry, of culture and art. They are places with their own identity and character.
In the Bible there are many references to cities as well—usually named after the locations from which they came or the people who lived there. So we know about cities like Sodom, Gomorrah, Jericho and Jerusalem—but what do these terms mean for us today? And how can we apply them in our lives?
Pray that there will be peace in our city.
Pray that there will be peace in our cities.
I pray for peace in the city.
Pray for safety in the city.
Pray for the safety of the city. Pray that law enforcement and government officials uphold justice and protect citizens. Pray that judges will hear the truth, and make decisions with wisdom and mercy in mind. Pray that educators will teach our children well, preparing them to be good stewards of their gifts. Pray that businesses will treat customers fairly, providing quality products at a fair price so as not to exploit their employees or communities (1 Timothy 6:17-19).
Pray for your own safety as well—and especially for those who travel through our city every day on their way to work or school or wherever else it may be they need to go!
Pray that people will turn to God.
We should pray that people will turn to God.
- Remember, your prayers are not wasted on the lost because God loves them and longs to be in relationship with them.
- We need to pray for an increase in church attendance and ministry participation, especially among young people.
- Our city needs more Christian influence, not less. We should pray for more generosity from our churches towards local outreach programs and international missions efforts aimed at sharing the Gospel with those who have never heard it before (1 Cor 9:23–27).
Pray that God will protect our children and young people.
Pray that God will protect our children and young people. Pray for the children to be safe in their homes, at school, when walking to school, or riding on a bus.
Say, “Lord, please keep me from harm’s way. Let no evil come near me or my family. Let these most vulnerable among us be kept safe from injury and death at every turn by Your grace and protection.”
Pray that people will have a heart for the poor and needy.
- Pray that people will be generous with their time, effort and money.
- Pray that they will see the needs of others and be moved to act.
- Pray that they will not be afraid to speak out when they see injustice being done, but also pray that they will not become bitter in their fight against injustice or lose hope when things don’t go well for them personally or for others around them
A Prayer For Those in Authority
“Amen, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I among them.” (Matthew 18:18-20)
In times past as well as today, we have seen cities torn apart by violence and division—plagued with crime and poverty; suffering from disease; experiencing distress over financial crisis; torn apart by racial conflict; overwhelmed with political unrest. These circumstances have led many people to give up hope—to despair of any solutions or solutions that matter much at all! But there is something Jesus tells us about ourselves: “Wherever two or three are gathered together in my name…I am among them.” We know this can happen when we meet together around the table of our Lord Jesus Christ at his Table—the table where we take Holy Communion each week.
Use this prayer to pray for your city.
Use this prayer to pray for your city.
Pray that peace and safety would be given to all who live there, and especially those who are poor and vulnerable.
Pray that people would turn to God in repentance, and that the city would become a beacon of hope for others around the world.
Pray that God will protect children and young people from evil influences, including pornography, drugs and alcohol.
Pray also for those who suffer from poverty or sickness in your city; ask God to give them comfort as they face their difficulties.
How to Pray for Your City
When we think about the book of Acts, we usually think about the beginning of the church, the miracles
performed by the Apostles, the work of the Holy Spirit, the conversion of Paul, and so on.
Too often, we overlook a wonderful thread that weaves its way throughout the entire book. The early church was made up of Christians that were dedicated not only to the gospel, to community, to mission but also to prayer (Acts 1:24, 2:42, 4:24-31 6:6, 16:25, 20:36 and many more).
It is easy to neglect praying for our cities I believe for three reasons.
- If we were to be honest, many of us believe that the “heavy lifting” of ministering to our city comes in the form of our Sunday gatherings, community groups, missional events, etc. While these things are necessary, when it comes to prayer we are often times (as Jeff Vanderstelt puts it) “functional atheists.”
- We forget how important prayer is to God. In Jeremiah, God instructs the prophet, “Seek the welfare
of the city where I have sent you into exile and pray to the Lord on its behalf…” (Jer. 29:7). Jesus in the Gospels commands the disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore, pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” (Matthew 9:37-38). From beginning to end, the call to pray is commanded in scripture and not something to be abandoned. - We are a prideful people. I am often reminding myself that I am a workman in a field that does not
belong to me, using tools that do not belong to me, reaping a harvest that does not belong to me, and working for a glory that does not belong to me (1 Corinthians 3:5-9). By His grace, making prayer for
my city a priority has allowed the Spirit to remind me that God alone saves, and God alone deserves glory for redemption.
During a sermon on 1 Peter 2:7, Charles Spurgeon made the statement, “Every Christian here is either a missionary or an impostor.”
A disciple of Christ is a life on mission, one that I believe is marked deeply by prayer for the people God has sent them to. Our states, our cities, our neighborhoods desperately need the life-giving renewal and redemption that flow from Christ’s life, death and resurrection.
Praying for the mission of God in our cities is one of the beautiful ways we join God in His renewal and redemption of our city. Let us be people who are marked not just by lives on mission in the everyday, but people who intercede daily and earnestly on behalf of our cities.
Below I have listed out prayers that we have recently been utilizing to pray for our city. My prayer even now, is that the Lord would use these to glorify Himself in the redemption and renewal of your city.
• Sunday – That the Gospel would be boldly and unashamedly proclaimed in our local churches. That our churches would be places for the broken, unwanted and hurting. That Christ will be offered as the only remedy for the very thing we cannot do, make ourselves better or save ourselves.
• Monday – Pray that Romans 8:35-39 would become a reality. Pray for yourself, for your family, for your pastors, for your church. That our hope would be found in Christ and in Christ alone and that his hope would produce Gospel boldness in our lives.
• Tuesday – Pray Matthew 6:10 over your city. Spend this day replacing the word “earth” with the name of your city… for me it is “In Charlottesville as it is in heaven”.
• Wednesday – Pray that the Spirit would weed out the sin in your life that has kept you from living a life on mission. That He would open up opportunities for you to be present and intentional with the gospel in your neighborhood. Pray for your neighbors by name.
• Thursday – Pray boldly Psalms 33:8 over your city. The people would stand in awe before Him.
• Friday – Pray Habakkuk 3:2 over your city. That the Lord’s love, wrath, justice and mercy would be made known in the City.
• Saturday: Pray that the Lord would increase our burden for our city. That our love and growth in the Gospel would produce a desire to see others saved and grow in their love and understanding of who God is, what He has done and what He is doing.
Prayer For The City Scripture
On July 1st, 2017, Canada celebrated it’s 150th birthday, or as some people call it, the anniversary of it’s Confederation. Independence Day, also referred to as the Fourth of July is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. Canada and the United States are close neighbours, geographically as well as being allies and friends. That said, these are challenging times for our nations. Both nations were founded by men and women who believed God was Sovereign. As Canadians and Americans, celebrating with our own distinct patriotic fervor, Canada on July 1st and the U.S. on July 4th, I pray that our two nations will continue to lean on the sovereignty of God. I hope we will also pray for one another in a spirit of unity and peace throughout the year!
2 Chronicles 7:14 “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”
1 Timothy 2:1-2 “I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.”
1 Kings 8:28 “Yet give attention to your servant’s prayer and his plea for mercy, Lord my God. Hear the cry and the prayer that your servant is praying in your presence this day.”
Matthew 6:9-13 “This, then, is how you should pray:
“‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.”
Psalm 33: 6-12 “By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth. He gathers the waters of the sea into jars; he puts the deep into storehouses. Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the people of the world revere him. For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm. The Lord foils the plans of the nations; he thwarts the purposes of the peoples. But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations. Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people he chose for his inheritance.”
Acts 17:26 “From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands.”
Isaiah 2:4 “He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore.”
Psalms 22:27-28 “All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations will bow down before him, for dominion belongs to the Lord and he rules over the nations.”
Romans 13:1 “Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.”
Jeremiah 29:7 “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.”
Prov. 21:1 “In the Lord’s hand the king’s heart is a stream of water that he channels toward all who please him.”
1 Peter 2:17 “Show proper respect to everyone, love the family of believers, fear God, honor the emperor.”
Job 12:23-24 “He makes nations great, and destroys them; he enlarges nations, and disperses them. He deprives the leaders of the earth of their reason; he makes them wander in a trackless waste.”
Proverbs 11:14 “For lack of guidance a nation falls, but victory is won through many advisers.”
Proverbs 14:34 “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin condemns any people.”
Proverbs 9:10 “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.”
1 Peter 2:9 “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.”
Philippians 2:5-11 “In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
Psalm 2 “Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth rise up and the rulers band together against the Lord and against his anointed, saying, “Let us break their chains and throw off their shackles.” The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them. He rebukes them in his anger and terrifies them in his wrath, saying, “I have installed my king on Zion, my holy mountain.” I will proclaim the Lord’s decree: He said to me, “You are my son; today I have become your father. Ask me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession. You will break them with a rod of iron; you will dash them to pieces like pottery.” Therefore, you kings, be wise; be warned, you rulers of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear and celebrate his rule with trembling. Kiss his son, or he will be angry and your way will lead to your destruction, for his wrath can flare up in a moment. Blessed are all who take refuge in him.”
Daniel 2:44 ““In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever.”
Matthew 25:32-34 “All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.”
Daniel 7:27 “Then the sovereignty, power and greatness of all the kingdoms under heaven will be handed over to the holy people of the Most High. His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all rulers will worship and obey him.”
Psalm 47: 2-9 “For the Lord Most High is awesome, the great King over all the earth. He subdued nations under us, peoples under our feet. He chose our inheritance for us, the pride of Jacob, whom he loved. God has ascended amid shouts of joy, the Lord amid the sounding of trumpets. Sing praises to God, sing praises; sing praises to our King, sing praises. For God is the King of all the earth; sing to him a psalm of praise. God reigns over the nations; God is seated on his holy throne. The nobles of the nations assemble as the people of the God of Abraham, for the kings of the earth belong to God; he is greatly exalted.”
Psalm 102:15 “The nations will fear the name of the Lord, all the kings of the earth will revere your glory.”
Isaiah 43:5-10 “Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bring your children from the east and gather you from the west. I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’ and to the south, ‘Do not hold them back.’ Bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the ends of the earth—everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.” Lead out those who have eyes but are blind, who have ears but are deaf. All the nations gather together and the peoples assemble. Which of their gods foretold this and proclaimed to us the former things? Let them bring in their witnesses to prove they were right, so that others may hear and say, “It is true.” “You are my witnesses,” declares the Lord, “and my servant whom I have chosen, so that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he. Before me no god was formed, nor will there be one after me.”
