Psalm 122 (NRSV)
Read Psalm 122 on biblegateway.com
Verse 1I was glad when they said to me, "Let us go to the house of the Lord!"
Verse 2Our feet are standing within your gates, O Jerusalem.
Verse 3Jerusalem-built as a city that is bound firmly together.
Verse 4To it the tribes go up, the tribes of the Lord, as was decreed for Israel, to give thanks to the name of the Lord.
Verse 5For there the thrones for judgment were set up, the thrones of the house of David.
Verse 6Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: "May they prosper who love you.
Verse 7Peace be within your walls, and security within your towers."
Verse 8For the sake of my relatives and friends I will say, "Peace be within you."
Verse 9For the sake of the house of the Lord our God, I will seek your good.
Devotion
How would you characterize your deepest longing? Is there just one thing for which you really hope? The psalmist certainly offers a suggestion and a proposal. He thinks of a city—his home—and of a place where those who love him have their dwelling. The psalmist's deep longing for peace is almost palpable; three times we hear his pleading. "Pray for the peace of Jerusalem, and that those who love you may prosper." And perhaps even after these centuries we too, our days seemingly dogged by hatred and fear, can share the longing. We hope for peace for our homes, security within our cities and for our loved ones a peace within that will be the signs of the Lord's ever-present love.
Prayer
O God of peace, still we join our prayers to those of your people through the centuries. Bring peace to our homes, to our cities and within our hearts, that all may come to know the promise of your goodness. Amen.