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 friends and of all the people,
I will say, “Peace be within you.”
9 For the sake of the house of the LORD our God,
I will seek your prosperity.
Questions to consider:
- Where do the tribes of the Lord go to praise him?
- What is the prayer for Jerusalem?
- What is being sought at the end of the psalm?
Possibilities for prayer:
The author of this psalm makes an incredibly relevant request to God on behalf of his city: that there might be peace.For anyone who's lived in New Haven for any length of time, you know that our city can be a place of violence. We've all heard or read the stories of muggings, shootings, gang violence, etc, and my guess is that it makes your heart sad. The staff team recently went for a prayer walk through the Newhallville neighborhood in New Haven, praying over the neighborhood more broadly, and specific landmarks as we passed them. A recurring theme on that walk was peace, and I think we all left the time feeling genuinely encouraged.
Today, take some time to pray for your city. Pray that a banner of peace would be waved above it as God's peace prevails. Maybe you want to try out the prayer walk idea yourself--gather a group of friends and just go for a walk, praying as you're on the move.
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