(NIV) Psalm 122
A song of ascents. Of David.
1 I rejoiced with those who said to me, “Let us go to the house of the LORD.”
2 Our feet are standing in your gates, Jerusalem.
3 Jerusalem is built like a city that is closely compacted together.
4 That is where the tribes go up— the tribes of the LORD—
to praise the name of the LORD according to the statute given to Israel.
5 There stand the thrones for judgment, the thrones of the house of David.
6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: “May those who love you be secure.
7 May there be peace within your walls and security within your citadels. ”
8 For the sake of my family and friends, I will say, “Peace be within you.”
9 For the sake of the house of the LORD our God, I will seek your prosperity.
What a great psalm! There was much rejoicing as all of the tribes joined together to go up to the house of the Lord during the holy festivals. And why were they going to Jerusalem? To praise God! And beyond the journey to that city was David’s encouragement to others to pray for the peace of Jerusalem.
We know the Temple had not yet been built, but David understood the spiritual aspect of Jerusalem. David also had a unique perspective regarding Jerusalem. There had been hard fought wars to gain control of that city, and sometimes peace seemed just outside of the reach of those who lived there. But peace is never so precious as it is to those who have long lived without it.
So, David issued an exhortation to pray for the peace of Jerusalem. And in the 21st century we continue to lift up prayers to God for peace for His holy city. May we be ever faithful to remember Jerusalem before God as Israel stands on the precipice of yet another threat to her existence.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
My Help Comes from You
(NIV) Psalm 121
A song of ascents.
1 I lift up my eyes to the mountains—where does my help come from?
2 My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.
3 He will not let your foot slip— he who watches over you will not slumber;
4 indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.
5 The LORD watches over you—the LORD is your shade at your right hand;
6 the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. 7 The LORD will keep you from all harm — he will watch over your life;
8 the LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.
When we look for help, where do we turn? As a child, we had a large volume known as the Yellow Pages. This directory was used for much more than as a source of information. For a small child like me, it was put in a hairdresser’s chair, often paired with the Sears catalogue, and I was lifted up into the air and placed upon those books where I actually sat still while the stylist worked her magic.
I suppose now there are kiddie seats that fit nicely into the stylist’s chairs, because both the Yellow Pages and the Sears Catalogues are relics of the past. But what if it is my soul that needs a lift? Then I look up!!! Because just like the Psalmist, I know where my help comes from.
In this song, we see the literary device of changing voices being employed. After the author declares “I will lift up mine eyes,” he switches to second person point of view, bringing the reader into the story. But more importantly, we witness a timeless aspect of God’s care where we are assured He will watch over us all of our lives. Isn’t that comforting? And remember, Psalms is a book of poetry and poetry is meant to be read out loud.
May we today and every day turn our faces toward God and lift up our eyes. He will watch over our coming and going both now and forever.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
The Ripple Effect
(NIV) Psalm 120
A song of ascents.
1 I call on the LORD in my distress,
and he answers me.
2 Save me, LORD,
from lying lips
and from deceitful tongues.
3 What will he do to you,
and what more besides,
you deceitful tongue?
4 He will punish you with a warrior’s sharp arrows,
with burning coals of the broom bush.
Psalm 120 is the first of the Psalms of Ascent, sung by those journeying to Jerusalem during the holy festivals. Jerusalem was later described by Jesus as “a city built on a hilll,” so as the people made their way up to Jerusalem they sang these psalms. Likewise, they were sung as the priests ascended the fifteen steps to the temple.
This first psalm deals with someone who has been lied about and is pleading to God for deliverance. When I was young I sometimes would exaggerate. Known now as hyperbole, I stopped when I was embarrassed more than once by someone countering with a more accurate version of events.
One thing I have noticed about a lie, is that once it has been spoken it takes on a life of its own. As a child I read a poem by James William Foley that said “drop a pebble in the water and in a moment it is gone, but the ripples they continue, on and on and on.”
The poet went on to say the same about an unkind word, and finally a word of cheer. Perhaps if we considered the ripple effect of our words and our actions, we would choose both more carefully.
May we leave ripples of love and kindness that would spread far and wide.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
My Help Comes from God
(NIV) Ps 121:1 I lift up my eyes to the mountains—
where does my help come from?
2 My help comes from the LORD,
the Maker of heaven and earth.
3 He will not let your foot slip—
he who watches over you will not slumber;
4 indeed, he who watches over Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.
There is such great comfort in knowing we can approach the maker of the universe, day or night, and He will be there. I have a list of folks who need a supernatural touch from God. But before I make my intercession known, I begin with praise.
I praise God for who He is, I praise Him for what He has done and I praise Him for what He is doing. I remind Him of seeing Hagar in the desert and meeting her needs. And I know if God saw Hagar’s plight, He sees mine.
There are some people for whom I am praying who have specific diagnoses, and there are others whose illness is real, but the cause as yet unknown.
But I know that regardless of the source of their sickness, the Healer is the God of the Universe and Jehovah is His name. He is eternal, everlasting and His nature will not change. So I praise God for what He is getting ready to do in the lives of CJ, CG, PW, SE, DH, CH, JT and DV.
May we understand and believe that God’s mercies are new every morning.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
The Mercy of God
(KJV) Ps 34:8 The LORD is merciful and gracious,
slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy.
9 He will not always chide:
neither will he keep his anger for ever.
10 He hath not dealt with us after our sins;
nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.
11 For as the heaven is high above the earth,
so great is his mercy toward them that fear him.
12 As far as the east is from the west,
so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.
It seems one of the characteristics of God that we fail to acknowledge is His mercy. We talk of His love, His faithfulness, His righteousness, but we don’t seem to realize we are recipients of His great mercy. Every single day.
In the South, we used to hear the phrase “Mercy me,” or “Law (Lord), have mercy”. But I wonder if we really understand what we’re saying. When we entreat God for His mercy, we are asking Him to spare us from the punishment we deserve.
And when we receive His mercy, two things happen. One, we can be sure our sins are forgiven. And two, it is incumbent upon us to give mercy to others.
Great is His mercy.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Seeking Holiness 