I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go into the house of the LORD.”

 

Saturday, October 21, 2023


Psalms 121; 122; 123

2 Kings 4:38-5:14

Matthew 14:22-36


I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go into the house of the LORD.”


David is standing in the city gates (Ps 122:2). He is with his motley group of crummy mates. They are standing there in the dust and the heat, watching the people move to and fro, smelling the food of the street vendors, listening to the dull roar of the city behind the walls. Life is good, all is well – now what?


One suggests a trip to the pub. Another suggests going down to watch the game. These sound OK, but surely there is something better to do. Then someone says something that makes David’s ears swivel: “let us go into the house of the Lord.”


For David, the man who has everything, only one thing will make him really happy, and that is to go and visit his God. It is not a difficult trip; his feet were already standing at the gates of the city. This city, entrusted to David, a city fostering friendship and unity. God built this city, and planted a people within it. God set David as king over these people, this lesser Eden, but a taste of Paradise nonetheless.


Pray for the peace of this city of Jerusalem. Pray for peace in the defences, and prosperity for the people. For the sake of David’s family and friends, the people of Israel, everyone who loves the Lord Jesus, and indeed everyone in all creation, pray for the peace of Jerusalem. For God’s sake, for the sake of the Lord, seek its well-being. Jerusalem was built as a city to foster friendship and unity. May those who love Jerusalem prosper. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem.

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