Studies in the Psalms - Psalm 122

Psalm 122 is psalm with a request and that request is for peace for the city of Jerusalem. In the day it was written, Jerusalem was the center of worship where the people of God met to worship and give thanks to Him. For many of the Jews, worshipping God required a long, and arduous journey. Yet, it was a journey they would be glad to make.

Psalm 122:1-2

I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go to the house of the LORD!”  Our feet have been standing within your gates, O Jerusalem!

New Testament believers don’t need to make long treks to a holy city to worship God. God no longer dwells in a building. Acts 7:48 tell us that “the Most High does not dwell in houses made by hands.” But that does not mean we do not still need to pray for the people of Jerusalem. We read in John 4:22 that salvation is of the Jews. What this means to us is that we must be thankful that God chose Israel to be His people and His people were given the very Word of God as Romans, chapter 3 teaches us. We need to remember them in our prayers.

Psalm 122:6-7
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem! “May they be secure who love you!  Peace be within your walls and security within your towers!”

We are to pray for the peace of Jerusalem, yet we know from the Bible that peace will not reign there until Jesus comes back. We need to be praying the final words of the Bible from Revelation 22:20-21, “He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!  The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen.

But we can also pray for the peace of God that all of God’s people seek; peace that transcends all understanding. This is peace in the midst of war, peace in the middle of suffering, and peace in the middle of pain. This is not a peace of a physical nature that results from war or negotiation. This is a peace within our hearts. This is a peace that says, “Father in heaven, I trust in you, no matter what is going on around me.”

Psalm 122:9
For the sake of the house of the LORD our God, I will seek your good.

We need to pray for Israel and the city of Jerusalem. But we also need to pray for the church. And the church is not a building or a specific group of people who you sit with on Sundays. The church is every man and woman who is baptized into Jesus and now has the hope of eternal life. God no longer dwells in a Temple in Jerusalem; He dwells in the hearts of His people.

Any time we are with another Christian, we are the church. And the church is a body and a body needs all its various members healthy and functioning. We need to pray for each other.

We still need to gather in a corporate setting and worship together.

Psalm 122:1

I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go to the house of the LORD!”

Be glad when someone asks you to go to the House of the Lord. Just remember, Sunday isn’t the only day to be in the church. For we are the church.

Pray for Israel. Pray for each other. Pray for Jesus to come soon.