Joy in Serving: Devotions From Time of Grace MinistryNäide

My Country: Pray for its prosperity In Daniel’s visions of the four great empires that were to rule the Middle East for the next millennium (chapter 7), the Babylonian Empire, in whose government he was serving, was depicted as a beast. Daniel himself had been deported from Judea as an unwilling captive following the crushing defeat of the Judean armies. It was Babylonian soldiers who had looted the temple and carted the sacred worship vessels back east. And yet the prophet Jeremiah had this to say to those exiled in Babylon: “Seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the LORD for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper” (Jeremiah 29:7). If the Israelites were expected to pray for Babylon, how much more should our hearts overflow on behalf of America? What a wonderful place to live! How precious are our personal and religious freedoms! How blessed we are! Thank you, Lord!