The City Where We Belong

The City

The city that surrounds me
seems broken beyond repair.
Lost ones wander the streets;
evil lurks in the alleys.
Sadness afflicts households;
grief omits no one.
Labor does not satisfy;
victories seem short at best.
Satisfaction evades the hungry;
contentment fades away.
But there’s a city that is coming;
grace has written my name there.
The right to enter, earned by no one;
the right to stay, no one deserves.
The Son is the gate of entry;
his blood the price that was paid.
That city gives hope to my journey.
That city brings comfort to my care.
That city awakens me in the morning.
That city gives strength for the day.
That city gives answers to my questions.
That city gives reason to my efforts.
That city gives rest when I’m weary.
That city gives me peace to sleep.
I was made for that city.

My Heart Cries Out

Paul David Tripp

Paul David Tripp shares his celebrations, disappointments, cries for help, confessions, and confusions in the form of 120 poems written as he experienced God’s grace in various seasons of his life.

Read:

Hebrews 11:16
Revelation 21

Consider:

Are you feeling depressed by the brokenness of the world around you? Offer those things in prayer to God.
How can remembering the coming of a God-given, grace-filled, eternal city be a source of encouragement to you?

This article is adapted from My Heart Cries Out: Gospel Meditations for Everyday Life by Paul David Tripp.

Paul David Tripp (DMin, Westminster Theological Seminary) is a pastor, an award-winning author, and an international conference speaker. He has written numerous books, including Lead; Parenting; and the bestselling devotional New Morning Mercies. His not-for-profit ministry exists to connect the transforming power of Jesus Christ to everyday life. Tripp lives in Philadelphia with his wife, Luella, and they have four grown children.