Heart for the City and the Plan of God
A reflection from a personal devotion
600 Words: 3 Minute Read
6 So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7 He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” 9 And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. 10 And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, 11 and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”
Acts 1:6–11
A heart for the lost is something that we often can forget as we navigate our busy, chaotic, demanding, and intense lives.
To have a heart for our city—those who live beside us and have not yet experienced the resurrection power of Jesus—is something that can quickly be neglected amid the never-ending barrage of personal needs and problems.
Lord, give me a heart for the people around me.
6 So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?”
The disciples have a heart for their nation. While historically and theologically, the Jewish belief in the restoration of Israel is different than a heart for a city to come to know the gospel of Jesus, there is a principle we can explore here.
The disciples are longing for something to happen. They desire to see something that is yet to be realized. We understand this today. We desire to see God’s will done, but something is needed to see this happen.
The disciples sought to have the messiah rule in Israel. Our hearts today seek to have Christ rule in the hearts of our neighbors.
My hometown of Kansas City (at least its metro area) is home to over two million people. Just like the disciples, I find myself praying and asking God, “At this time, will you move in our city?”
I need the Holy Spirit. Without the Holy Spirit, I do not have a heart for my city. The Holy Spirit reminds me that God’s plan is so much bigger than my own problems. His plan is different than what I think or understand it to be. His plan is way more comprehensive and complete than I can imagine!
Before the disciples had the baptism of the Holy Spirit they misunderstood the plan of God. They did not yet, see the full plan that God had.
They had a heart for God’s plan, but they were not yet able to understand it in its full capacity.
I mirror this same misunderstanding when I live without a conscious awareness of my need for the Spirit of God to reveal the heart and plan of God.
May we seek the Spirit and have a heart for the city and the plan of God.