Are you looking forward to gathering together to worship in church? It is not just about being able to sing hymns again, and it’s not just about meeting up again. For me it’s also about resetting my spiritual compass and acknowledging my spiritual roots.
This psalm is written at a time when David has defeated the Philistines, he was anointed as king and had come to take his rightful place on the throne in Jerusalem. The name Jerusalem means peace – Shalom, which is more than just an absence of conflict, it is a wholeness, health, justice, prosperity and protection.
The psalmist in verses 6-9 prays for that peace, not for himself but for his family and friends in Jerusalem.
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.
So as we emerge from our own homes and gather again as we are permitted, let us sing our hymns, let us gather in fellowship, but let us pray for that peace, that Shalom, for our friends and family, and also for those people we know in our everyday lives outside of the church building.
TFTD: Based on Spring Harvest 2021 Bible study series “Worshipping the God of all in all of life” Edited by Mark Greene from licc which looks at the topic of worship in the Psalms.