Psalm 122: The Path to Peace

The weekend Psalm for:
November 14-15.2009
Read Psalm 122 from the English Standard Version
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The Big Idea

I once heard a sermon on the opening phrase of this Psalm: "I was glad when they said to me 'Let us go to the house of the Lord'." All these years later, I still remember the challenge--does the idea of worshiping God delight me? 

In this Psalm, Jerusalem represents that place of worship--that personal encounter with the living God. I love the description of it as "a city that is bound firmly together." It was solid, reliable, safe--and not by its own merits, but by the presence of God.  

Meditation

Think back over your life. Where is that place where you always felt loved, and always felt at peace. For me, that was in the little town of Mount Sterling, WI, when visiting my great aunt and great uncle, Thelma and Elmer Lee. There was a real sense of joy, peace, and the grace of God in their home, and in my youth the most beautiful sound in the world was my dad's voice saying "We're going to Mount Sterling."

That's the idea behind this Psalm. For the people of God under the Old Covenant, Jerusalem was their home, their hope, and the place where they knew the presence of God. 

The climb uphill to Jerusalem was a time of prayer, singing, and gratitude. It meant not only life, peace, and security, but it meant justice, reconciliation, and wholness. Quite simply, Jerusalem meant far more to the Jewish people than Mount Sterling means to me.  

This weekend, consider your life, and ask yourself--is it an expectant, eager climb into the very presence of God? Or is it aimless wandering? Take hold of "the peace of Jerusalem." Ultimately, that peace comes through Jesus Christ.

Praying With This Psalm
You can pray scripture prayers for yourself or for others.

• Father God, let _________ find gladness at coming into your presence. Let them seek you with perseverance and eagerness.
  
  
• May ______ seek to live their life in your presence, and to plant their feet firmly in your peace.
  
  
• Oh, God remind ______ that your judgement means justice. May they know your justice, and by knowing it, seek your mercy without delay or excuse.
  
  
• Father, may _______ learn the truth that Jesus is the "peace of Jerusalem." He is the promised Messiah, the redeemer, and the King of Israel. It is only by his grace the promise is fullfilled: "Peace be within you."

Related Scriptures and Scripture Prayers

• Philippians 4:6-7. Real Peace...
  Lord, where _____ knows anxiety, may they know your peace. May _____ experience the peace of God that surpasses all understanding. May they come to Jesus Christ, that he may guard their hearts and their minds.

• Colossians 3:15. The Peace of Christ...
  Lord God, may the peace of Christ reign in _______'s heart. Let _____ know the gratitude and thanksgiving that comes from being reconciled to you through Jesus Christ.
   
  
• I Thessalonians 5:23. Complete sanctification...
  Father God, you have the power to transform lives. I ask that you will bring your sanctifying, transforming, redeeming power into ______'s life. Lord Jesus, by your grace, may their whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless, that they may be found whole, holy, and transformed at your return. 

(Some Rights Reserved, CC-BY-NC, 2009). L. J. Sam Helgerson, PhD