WHEN OTHERS RAN OUT THEY RAN IN
After the walls of Jerusalem were rebuilt, people were needed to repopulate the city, which had been destroyed some 70+ years earlier. It was a run-down and dangerous place where few wanted to live. So when certain men willingly volunteered to live in the city, the people blessed them for their self-sacrifice and courage.
After the incident in New York City on September 11, 2001, it was reported that someone had written this saying in the dusty window of a building near the twin towers: “When others ran out, we ran in.” This described the heroic efforts of the FDNY members who ran in to rescue people, while others ran away.
It is tempting to turn a blind eye to the trouble of our cities and nation. To just let the lost perish without hope because they are so risky and frustrating to help. Yet, the Lord still calls believers who will “willingly offer themselves” to dwell in such places and reach out to such people. He still blesses those who will be a blessing to others in the city.
As the prophet Jeremiah told the Jewish exiles in Babylon, “Seek the peace of the city where I have caused you to be carried away captive, and pray to the Lord for it; for in its peace you will have peace” (Jer. 29:7).
PRAYER: Dear Father, help us to be a blessing to the city to which You have called us. We pray for our city and its leaders, its pastors, its first responders, its medical workers, and its inhabitants. Bring the peace of the gospel to our city and nation, we pray. In Jesus’ name, amen.