September 4: The Working Past of the Collar City

Jeremiah 20:18 -- "Why did I come out from the womb to see toil and sorrow, and spend my days in shame?"

Yesterday, we prayed for the laborers of Troy. Today, let's pray for God to heal Troy's working past -- the sadness and shame of a once proud and prosperous city that saw its manufacturing and steel jobs leave it, decade by decade. In the 1800s and early 1900s, Troy was one of the most prosperous cities in the state and even the nation. As the jobs vanished, Troy turned to operating speakeasies and brothels to make money. Aside from its sad past of decline and corruption, the city now struggles with an 11.5% unemployment rate.

Let's pray for God to heal the sadness and shame of this city. That older Troy residents who remember the good jobs can let go of the hurt and look to a better future. That younger Troy natives born as working poor could let go of anger and have their hope restored. That God would bless the little signs of financial renewal in downtown and other parts of Troy. And, that God would forgive us as a city for the sins of the past -- for turning to sex, drugs and crime in our greed, and bearing the slavery of sex, drugs and crime in this city to this day.

Jesus, give us freedom.