Ps 122:6-9 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 brothers 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.” NIV
One of the great intercessory commissions of scripture is the call to pray for Jerusalem. Throughout scripture the Lord affirms again and again His love for and commitment to the city of Jerusalem. Though she has been subjected to long seasons of judgment and division there is a testimony throughout scripture that persists in affirming God’s plan for the city that He loves and where He has chosen to place His name. Isa 65:18-19 is one glimpse at the Lord’s heart and plan for this ancient city, “But be glad and rejoice forever in what I will create, for I will create Jerusalem to be a delight and its people a joy. 19 I will rejoice over Jerusalem and take delight in my people.” Through this passage we can see that God is not finished with her yet. He is still at work to make Jerusalem a delight and her people a joy in the earth!
Oh church of Jesus Christ, hear God’s calling to pray for Jerusalem and the nation of Israel. She is in the center of God’s eternal plans. Isa 62:6-7 enlarges upon this burden of prayer that God desires to place upon the heart of His people for Jerusalem. “I have posted watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem; they will never be silent day or night. You who call on the LORD, give yourselves no rest, 7 and give him no rest till he establishes Jerusalem and makes her the praise of the earth.” There is an unending, call to sustained prayer for the city of Jerusalem until the purposes of God for her in the earth are completely fulfilled in His eternal plan. God is looking for a people who will allow a holy jealousy to fill their hearts for the city of Jerusalem and God’s purposes there.
Psalm 122:6-9 is rich in its burden for the city of Jerusalem and in the blessing that it declares upon those who will take up this burden. “May those who love you be secure…” This blessing is a reflection of the Lord’s love for those who will align themselves with His burden for Jerusalem. One of the evidences of a mature relationship is when you make room in your heart to love what the other person loves and this is what the Lord is calling us to. Make room in your heart to love the city that the Lord loves! Verse 9 carries in it such a picture of aligning our hearts with the burden of the Lord. The Psalmist declares “for the sake of the house of the Lord our God, I will seek your prosperity.”Because he loves the house of the Lord he takes upon himself the burden of prayer for the city of God’s delight. What a great lesson for those who want to go deeper in God. One of the clearest paths to more of God is to love what He loves and accept a burden of prayer to pray for those things that are near to the Lord’s heart. Give yourself to the great work of partnering with God in prayer today!
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