“…That you may tell of them to the next generation. For this is our God for ever and ever; He will be our guide even to the end” (Ps. 48:13-14 NIV).
He will always lead us. My family and I live in downtown Los Angeles next to a lovely park, and as you can imagine, I see many people of different ethnicities and at different stages of life. I love being a part of this beautiful and vibrant community, but not just for the reasons you might think.
There is brokenness and need in any community, but in ours it is very visible. I see it every day—on my walk to work, I see the same homeless men each day pushing their belongings in shopping carts. On the side of the street, I watch the man living in his vehicle prepare breakfast out of the trunk of his car. In the park, I pass by the poverty-stricken family digging through the trashcans and looking for recyclables to help them make ends meet. I see this daily, and my heart grieves.
In the city I call my home, the physical and spiritual needs are so visible that I only need to ask the Spirit to lead me as I step in to do what Jesus has called us all to do: love our neighbors (Matt. 22:39). There is much work to be done in our city, but I have to pray continually and trust the Lord to show me not just what to do, but where to begin.
Aside from what I see plainly, I know that in my city there are more than 19,000 children in the foster care system for numerous reasons. This is heartbreaking. Recently, after much prayer, the Lord led our family to be a foster family to a little girl. The process to welcome her into our family has begun, and we are beyond excited to love and care for her in the near future.
Lots of adjustments and learning are to come, but I rest in the knowledge that He has called us to this and is leading us in every step of this journey. I find it a privilege that we will get to partner with God and show this little girl His everlasting love for her.
He will always lead us. As the author of Psalm 48 did, I want to tell everyone about the great works of the hand of the Lord in my city. I want to tell people and the generations to come about the mighty, loving, merciful and gracious God I know who will forever and always lead us.
I challenge all of us to pray for revival in our cities. Pray for healing, restoration and an outpouring of God’s redeeming love.
As you serve your congregation, community and city, rest in the wonderful knowledge that He will always lead you. There is need and brokenness at every corner; let’s ask the Holy Spirit to open our eyes and lead us into action so that every person we encounter will see and know Jesus.
I thank our Lord that through His written Word, the Holy Spirit’s leading, and our open minds and hearts, we will find ourselves being led by His loving and gracious hand to change our world one city at a time and one person at a time.
