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.
Over the years, in sermons and songs I have heard the phrase/directive “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem”. I’ve always understood it in the very literal sense of praying for the city of Jerusalem, Israel.
More recently I’ve pondered that perhaps this can also be understood in a less literal, more metaphorical context of praying for the peace that was found in Jerusalem when the Holy Spirit of God resided in the Temple there.
In I Corinthians 6:19-20, the Apostle Paul says: “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?”
If the Holy Spirit resides within us, the peace of that residence should also reside within us. Perhaps “praying for the peace of Jerusalem” can also remind us to seek and recognize that peace which comes from being a Holy Residence for the Spirit of the Lord. And to live as if.
Just Sayin' 