Psalm 122:6-9: Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: ‘May they prosper who love you. Peace be within your walls, and security within your towers.’ For the sake of my relatives and friends I will say, ‘Peace be within you.’ For the sake of the house of the LORD our God, I will seek your good. This is a wonderful passage. Earlier in this Psalm, the author portrays a beautiful vision of Jerusalem, ‘a city restored in beautiful order and harmony.’ He then offers the blessing above, so full of love and kindness, asking God to keep us safe, and make sure that good things happen not only to us but also to the ones who love us. It is too easy to get caught up in our own routines, which to us seem very busy and important. We forget to be grateful to God (we’re too busy!) and don’t give thanks for all of our blessings which are many indeed, including loving and supportive friends and family, a roof over our head, food to eat, and the freedom to go about our day without the fear of something terrible happening to us or our loved ones. Thank you, Lord! But where is the ‘peace of Jerusalem’ for many people in our world? Families in their homes in Afghanistan and Syria, going about their daily routine, are getting bombed. People in our own country don’t feel safe at night in their own neighborhood. Young children don’t have the care they need. People, who as our Youth just back from CityReach told us, feel “invisible” in their hunger and homelessness, feeling they are so unimportant to us that we walk right by them without even seeing them. Where is their security and prosperity? For the sake of the house of the Lord our God, I will seek your good. Prayer: Dear Lord, open our eyes so that we may truly appreciate and give thanks for all of the many blessings you have bestowed on us. Give us the wisdom and strength to recognize and reach out to people who are in need. Let us not forget the dream of this World being ‘restored in beautiful order and harmony.’ Amen. Cathy P
Posted on: Thu, 10 Apr 2014 14:00:01 +0000
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