Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease. Also, 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 29:5-7)

What does it look like to be both a citizen of heaven and a faithful steward of an earthly country? Praise God, He gives us an answer in this passage. But first we must put the Biblical text in its historical context.

Finally, after hundreds of years of patient invitations to repentance had been scorned, God gave them over to a pagan, godless power. As His people suffered in a land of demonic gods, Yahweh made it clear that He had permitted this exile (see Jeremiah 29:4). We don't like to think of God as the righteous Judge, but He is. And He will judge the earth (see Psalm 96:13, Romans 14:10-12, et al.).

What was God saying to them—indeed, saying to us and to all faithful believers today? He called His people who were living in that pagan culture to be faithful citizens. He told them to be good stewards—even amid their exile, even in the land of captivity. He reminded them that He had set His heart on them, that He yet cared for them—indeed, He had carried them Himself even to this place for His good and perfect purposes. Then, through Jeremiah, He gave them these instructions: "[S]eek the peace and the 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" (v. 7).

In a general sense, all believers on earth are in exile. We are sojourners. We are on our way home to heaven. But that does not mean that we do nothing while we're waiting for the day God brings us to our eternal home. There are many who yearn to put on white robes and head for the mountains. But God has called His people to work toward the flourishing of society, both for our good and the good of others—and ultimately for the glory of God.

Today there are misguided people on both extremes of the spectrum working against the flourishing of our nation. But God's heart for the world is that His people would "seek the peace and prosperity of the city."

To be clear, I'm not confusing my earthly freedom with my ultimate freedom that's found in Christ alone. I'm not confusing this earthly life with my eternal home—not confusing my heavenly citizenship with this earthly citizenship. Rather, I am saying that my heavenly citizenship dictates how I am to live in the nation God has placed me on earth. God's people are to work for the blessing of their community. As we do, God will minister through us—even using us to draw people into an eternal citizenship through the blood of Christ.

So, we must pray that God will have mercy on America, not pray for its downfall. We must intercede for the lost to come to Christ. We are to compassionately call our fellow citizens to repent, not wish them harm. Of course this doesn't mean we compromise the Truth. Rather, we stand firm and proclaim the Truth at any cost, not raise the white flag of surrender—for Scripture is clear: "Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we will be saved" (Acts 4:12). Jesus is the way, the Truth, and the life. We need to cry to God to save His people, that they may experience forgiveness of sin and God's favor forever.

Those of us who have escaped the horrors of socialism, totalitarianism, and dictatorship, those of us who have escaped to this land of the free and the home of the brave—we feel obligated to remind those who are born in this country not to take the privilege of being an American for granted. Don't surrender to the evil forces. Don't settle for the invasion of the antichrists with a small "a" who are infiltrating every aspect of life with godlessness. Don't abandon your stewardship or your citizenship.

In fact, that's exactly what Jesus said to His disciples: "Occupy till I come" (Luke 19:13, KJV). He didn't say, "Surrender until I come," nor, "Bide your time until I come," nor, "Withdraw from society until I come." This defeatist attitude is what has ushered us into the mess we are in today. When evil forces took over academic institutions, Christians withdrew. When evil forces took over the media, Christians withdrew. When evil forces took over the halls of government, Christians withdrew.

Rather, God's people are to invade Satan's territories with the full armor of God. We are to stand toe-to-toe with the enemy of our souls because he's a defeated foe. We are to count the cost and prepare to pay the cost of occupying until Jesus returns. Seeking the peace and prosperity of the city means we lovingly and tenaciously proclaim that God's way is a better way. God's way for marriage and sexual purity is the best. God's way of loving people into the Kingdom and rejecting hate is the best. God's way of shunning violence and loving peace is the best. God's way for family life is the best. We must proclaim it and proclaim it and then proclaim it again.

This is not the first time that America has been in trouble morally, spiritually, and ethically. But because of the faithful prayers of the faithful children of the living God, because people cried to God for mercy, He sent our nation awakenings. When God's people come under the spiritual authority of His Word, God can and will change things—He will change hearts and resurrect dead souls.

So, more than any other citizen, we, the believers in Jesus Christ, have double responsibility. We are to be committed to being good citizens. And because we know that God can do great and mighty things and will answer faithful prayer, we must cry to God.

A Scottish thinker once articulated a theory of the cycle of nations throughout history. He observed that nations go from bondage to spiritual faith, from spiritual faith to great courage, from courage to liberty, from liberty to abundance, from abundance to selfishness, from selfishness to complacency, from complacency to apathy, from apathy to dependence, from dependence back into bondage. Today's generation is certainly experiencing apathy, which is leading us to dependence. Can bondage be far behind? The very fact that we are one of the greatest debtor nations in the world is a clear indication that bondage is not far away. So let us commit to praying. Let's commit to working. Together, let's ask God to lead us back to faith and renew our nation by renewing its people.

Though we face the very forces of hell at work to bind souls forever, all of them are no match for our God. What this nation needs most is not politicians, not even good policies, which I admire and support. But God Himself.