Psalm 122

I rejoiced with those who said to me, “Let us go to the house of the Lord.”  Our feet are standing in your gates, Jerusalem.  Jerusalem is built like a city that is closely compacted together. 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.  There stand the thrones for judgment, the thrones of the house of David. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: “May those who love you be secure.  May there be peace within your walls and security within your citadels.” For the sake of my family and friends,   I will say, “Peace be within you.”  For the sake of the house of the Lord our God, I will seek your prosperity.

Those attending the annual festivals approached Jerusalem with joy! They loved the city and prayed for its flourishing. What Jerusalem was to the ancient Jews the church is to believers in Christ. When we come to faith in Christ, we become citizens in the heavenly Jerusalem (Hebrews 12:22-24; Philippians 3:20). The manifestation of that heavenly (and future) city is the counterculture of the Christian church, a society where the world can see human life lived according to God's will. Through the Gospel, different races and nations are "closely compacted together" (Ephesians 2:11-22). People who would never get along outside the church love one another inside it. We must joyfully seek out the church; the Bible knows nothing of solitary religion.

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