Global Missions Conference

Daily Devotional

Day 6

“There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells. God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day.” Psalm 46:4–5

Read: Psalm 46:1–11

The City of God is the city of cities. Not just your garden variety capital city, Jerusalem is the dwelling place of God Almighty. This city is the inspiration not just for Israel, but for the world.

Jerusalem has no river, but this poetic image draws upon the common idea that Jerusalem was like the Garden of Eden which did have a river (Genesis 2:10). Both Eden and Jerusalem served as the locus of God’s presence on earth. When Israelites looked at Jerusalem and its temple, they felt secure in God’s protection. “God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day. Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; he lifts his voice, the earth melts” (Psalm 46:5-6).

Cities are places that nurture aspirations. Ten years ago, the city of  Medellín in Colombia was awarded prestigious global prizes for being the most innovative city in the world. The city had adopted a new metro train system that reduced CO2 emissions and provided transportation for 500,000 of the city’s 2.5 million residents. It boasts the largest building dedicated to research in the nation as well as a public bike-share program, an outdoor escalator on a steep mountain range, new cultural centers and more. Its reputation in the 1980s as the most dangerous city in the world has radically changed. Though crime is still a factor in public life, homicides have been reduced considerably.

 Medellín is also a modern, global city that attracts people with aspirations from within the country and from outside. When the refugee crisis started from Venezuela, many Latin American countries opened their doors to almost 3 million people. They were escaping violence, food insecurity, lack of healthcare, and unemployment. Medellín received a lot of these refugees.

Many look to cities for refuge and justice, but also for a sense of significance and higher purpose in their lives. While there are certainly physical resources that a city like Medellín can supply, there are moral and spiritual needs that only God can satisfy. The psalmist wrote of Jerusalem that “God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day” (v.5). He knew that God could meet the material concerns of the city, but also the deeper longings people have for personal significance, community, and transcendence. 

Christians in Medellín are working hard to serve the needs of their community. Gustavo and Rochelle Karakey are Park Street missionaries who serve alongside Colombian believers in a ministry to equip and to empower local Christians through theological education in Medellín.  God’s word is spiritual food for the weary and the weak. As Colombian believers grow in their understanding and experience of God’s Word, they can be empowered to reach out more and to offer refugees and others not only material resources, but also the true source of hope in the face of poverty, injustice, and death.

Question

What comes into your mind with the word “refuge”? Why?

Action Step

Next time you meet someone from another country, ask them about their experience in coming to New England.

Prayer

Our Father in heaven, thank you that your presence brings joy to your people wherever they are. Today, I pray for Medellín and its residents, officials, refugees, and others. May they know that you are the Lord Almighty. May you guide their aspirations to a better life so that their hopes are ultimately set on you and your faithfulness. For Jesus’ sake, Amen.