We all live in a community, be it big or small, we dwell in an area where God has placed us. We have a lot of reasons why we live in this city, it may be due to ancestry, or some have migrated from other cities in order to study, work, or settle down here. Whatever the reason is, we are all part of a community working together to achieve our goals in life. God has a purpose why we are here in Davao City, and we should do our part as His sons and daughters.
In Psalm 48:1 it was proclaimed that "Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised in the city of our God!". The Jews wrote about their vision of Zion as God's city and dwelling place in Psalm 48. This was written in response to the deliverance of Jerusalem from powerful enemies that threatened to annihilate it. This psalm joyously proclaims God's greatness as seen in the splendor of His city, which was miraculously delivered. Moreover, it was also written about how they praise the beauty of their egalitarian society in Zion.
There are three things we can learn from this scripture. First, the city that belongs to God proclaims his greatness and power. This is evident in Psalm 48:1, where they praised and worshipped God in the city. Let us make Davao City, a model city, where citizens are disciplined and submit to authorities. Hence, a city that honors God and welcomes every visitor who wants to live here and help them to understand the gospel, and praising and worshipping the Lord.
Second, a city that belongs to God proclaims the beauty of His Holiness. In Psalm 48:2, the city was described to his holy mountain, beautiful in elevation, it is the joy of all the earth, Mount Zion, in the far north, the city of the great King. With this verse, we are reminded to display God's holiness to a sinful and cruel world. The beauty of the city is evident on its strength, which is due to God's dwelling in His people. We have God's likeness and it is seen in our attitudes and how we deal with our fellow citizens and our visitors, without prejudice on ethnicity, color, job, and economic status. We are all equal in the eyes of God. We should remember not to discriminate against other people from entering the city, rather we should welcome them with open arms. With the recent events concerning the COVID 19 pandemic, this reminds us that we should not look down or avoid our medical front-liners who are sacrificing their lives to save us from contracting the virus. We should pray for healing to those who were infected and protection to those in the frontlines.
Lastly, the city that belongs to God proclaims their joy in Him. The psalmist said the "His holy mountain is the joy of all the earth. To proclaim God's joy, we must be experiencing it as we rejoice daily in His great salvation. As God's people, we don't let the difficulty cause us to be hopeless and joyless. As a city belonging to the Great King, we are to extend God's joy to the whole world, and we can start in our city.
With these lessons from Psalm 48, how can we proclaim God's greatness more effectively in this city? Let us start by sharing the good news with our family, friends, and workmates. Start by telling them a story of what are you before you received God and how you were changed by the gospel. Inspire people to do things that are in accordance with God's teaching. Be emphatic to them and listen to their stories also and be able to connect to people. In our own small way, conversing and sharing, we are able to contribute to the city's harmonious environment. Let us spread the message of love, faith, hope, understanding, patience, and perseverance. Thus, we can live in the City, where we work in harmony and in synergy.
Today, in our 3rd day of prayer and fasting, let us declare that Davao City will be a city that gives God the worship and praise He deserves. Pray for the virus to stop from spreading, for healing for those who are sick, protection for all the frontliners and all Davaoenos. Lastly, pray for our wisdom and provision for all the business sectors, universities, small business enterprises, other offices, and local government units.
We are all in this together! Amen!
Amen!❤️🙏
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