Read: Psalm 122
Key verse: “I was glad when they said to me, ‘Let us go into the house of the LORD.’” (Ps 122:1, NKJV)
Someone says: let us go to the house of the LORD. And the psalmist is glad. They do not go alone: the tribes go up together to give thanks to the LORD (verse 4). In this psalm Jerusalem is the city where God’s people gather.
At the end he asks: pray for the peace of Jerusalem (verse 6), for the sake of his brothers and friends and for the sake of the house of the LORD. That call still stands. We pray for Jerusalem and for everyone who lives there, without turning it into a political position. Peace here is shalom: being whole, being well.
Reflect: With whom do you like to go to worship, and whom could you invite this week?
Prayer: LORD, give us joy when we gather. Protect Jerusalem and let there be peace for those who live there. Amen.