City

...to go to a city where they might dwell.

 - From Psalm 107

It occurred to me just now, that God's preference for us, is that we reside in a city. The New Jerusalem, which He has been building, with supernatural powers, for over two thousand years, is a city. It's a very large city and it's going to be populated by a lot of people.

This is proof that God wants us to be social. We were designed to be around other people.

Cities give us a level of safety and security not found in the country. First of all, there's always someone nearby to talk to. There should be plenty of work to do (in fact, there is . . . look at any modern city, at the extreme need for repair and clean-up work). You are close to services and emergency help.

Why is it that humans have messed up cities so much? 

Here's an idea - - - if everybody on earth were required to live in a city, on a lot and in a house roughly equivalent to everybody else's, would there be more crime, or less? I am inclined to think, less crime. The people that fled the city, for a country lifestyle, hurt the city when they left. Urban flight only solves the problems for the people that left. But it leaves bigger problems for their old neighbors.

Yet God prefers cities for us . . . and there must be some good reason why.

Today, Labor Day - - - And we have a passage talking about getting to safety: getting to a city. Cities and urban issues are closely linked to labor issues. Skilled labor needs a close market. It needs access to buyers and employers. Labor and the city go hand-in-hand. If you are skilled, and you live in a city, you will never go hungry.

I have recently visited the city of Detroit, a half dozen times. It is my first foray into this great urban area. And my traveling companion is a native and current resident of Detroit. I was struck as to how she felt more safe in Detroit, than she would feel in the country. 

There is a lot about the world we do not know . . .