Praying for Peace
(NIV) Psalm 122:1 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 in 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.”
Psalm 122 is one of the fifteen Songs of Ascent. It is said that during the pilgrimage to Jerusalem in the high holy days, on each of the fifteen steps leading up to the temple songs would be sung.
When I study these psalms, I am reminded of the contrast with Jonah. You remember the story.
Jonah had received a word from God, one word, but then God was silent. So Jonah prayed fervently for another word. But, when he received it He no longer wanted it.
So, Jonah ran from God. He went down to get to the boat, then he went down in the boat, then the others threw him down into the waters to calm the seas, and he was swallowed by a fish where he went down into its belly. And it was dark.
What a contrast! Jonah, running from God’s will, descended into the darkness, but the pilgrimage to the Temple led people upward to that shining city upon the hill.
The psalm includes a very prescient instruction: to pray for the peace of Jerusalem. Notice the idea is not a suggestion, but instead it is an instruction.
Today Israel is under attack, but instead of praying for peace, people around the world are calling for Israel’s destruction.
May we choose to pray for peace.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
My Hiding Place
(NIV) Psalm 32:7 You are my hiding place;you will protect me from troubleand surround me with songs of deliverance.
When David was under assault, whether physically or spiritually, he knew what he had to do. He went directly to his hiding place.
It is vital to understand that David did not wait until trouble appeared to find a place to hide. And he did not depend on a room of man made materials, but rather upon God.
May we use David as our example when trouble arises, to seek out God not as a last resort but at the first sign of trouble. And then may we be quick to praise Him, as in Fanny Crosby’s song, “Praise Him, praise Him, tell of His excellent greatness…”
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
The Plan of Salvation
(NIV) Heb 1:1 In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe. 3 The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.
Hebrews is an anonymous letter to a Christian community. Written in the style of Paul, it is full nuggets to enhance our Christian walk.
The letter begins by comparing the methods of communication used by God to introduce the idea of redemption to fallen man. It is almost as though He provided pieces of the same puzzle to different individuals.
When you read the prophets, a somewhat hazy picture of God’s plan emerges. That is, until you begin to fit the puzzle pieces together which then form a beautiful tapestry.
And then there is the revelation of who He is through Jesus. The letter begins with Jesus sitting down. Why would Jesus sit down when there is so much work left to be done?
Fellow Christ followers, He sat down because “it is finished.” The plan of salvation, and the execution of that plan, was completed with the death, burial and resurrection of our Savior and our Lord.
Now it us up to us to hear the message, to receive it not just as head knowledge but as heart knowledge , and then to carry it to others. May we love as He loved, serve as He served, give as He gave.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
What is the Right Question?
(NIV) Acts 1:4 On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. 5 For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”
6 Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”
While we are still in what some refer to as Eastertide, I was considering a couple of things.
I have often advised new Christians to “read the red before you go to bed.” The Gospels are so foundational to our faith and indeed our understanding of Who Jesus is. But here we are in the book of Acts, the Acts of the Apostles, and Jesus is speaking outside of the Gospels .
The account of Jesus’ final statement to His disciples is brief, but for me it is so disturbing. After 3 1/2 years of almost constant companionship, culminating in 40 days of additional teaching, the disciples ask the wrong question!
How can they still be focused on restoration of a political kingdom when the Son of God has been preparing them for the kingdom of heaven?
But then my mind shifts to wondering what are the wrong questions we are asking? I think of the Doris Day song “Que Sera Sera”:
When I was just a little girl
I asked my mother, “What will I be?”
“Will I be pretty? Will I be rich?”
Here’s what she said to me.
Will we ever reach the point in our spiritual journey where the only question left to ask is “what is it You need of me?” Or perhaps very simply saying, “Here am I, Lord.”
May we draw closer to Jesus today than we were yesterday.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Dwelling in God’s House
(NIV) Ps 27:4 One thing I ask from the LORD,
this only do I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the LORD
all the days of my life,
to gaze on the beauty of the LORD
and to seek him in his temple.
The twenty-seventh Psalm has long been a favorite of mine. I love the singularity of David’s purpose, to dwell with God, within His house, not for a day, or a week, but forever.
I love that David employs action verbs to express his desire to develop a permanent relationship with God. He is not passively sitting, waiting for God to move in his life. No—he is seeking so that he might gaze (not just glance, but engage in a piercing stare) upon God’s beauty. Such language implies a fellowship that only a continual relationship can accomplish.
Today I, too, seek out that place where I may make my permanent abode with God. It is only in God’s presence that I can be complete. It is only in God’s dwelling place that I can be secure.
So, until the time comes when I can establish a permanent change of address, I will follow David’s example to seek after God with my whole heart, both early and often. May we, empowered by the Holy Spirit, know His beauty, both in this world and the world to come.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Seeking Holiness 