Jun 17, 2024 4 min read Devotions

Psalm 122: May There Be Well-Being (SQRP Devo)

Let there be well-being among us and for those among whom we have been placed. Let there be well-being for our church family, those who walk with us in faith. Let there be peace on earth, and let it begin with me, my family, and my church. (SQRP Devotional from Psalm 120)

Photo by Bekky Bekks / Unsplash

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Audio link for Psalm 122 Devotional

Scripture

Psalm 122

A song of the ascents. David's.

¹I rejoiced when people said to me,
We'll go to Yahweh's house.

²Our feet have been standing
in your gates, Yerushalaim;

³Yerushalaim, which is built
as a town that is joined together to itself

⁴Where the clans went up, Yah's clans,
(an affirmation for Yisrael)
to confess Yahweh's name.

⁵Because thrones for exercising authority sat there,
thrones for David's household.

⁶Ask for the well-being of Yerushalaim;
may people who are loyal to it be secure.

⁷May there be well-being in your rampart,
ease in your citadels.

⁸For the sake of my brothers and my friends
I shall please speak of well-being for you.

⁹For the sake of the house of Yahweh our God
I will seek good things for you.

[Psalm 122, The Bible For Everyone (bold and italics mine)]

"Yerushalaim" (also Yerushalayim) -- is made up of two words, Yireh (meaning Yahweh will provide) and Shalem (meaning peace). The name of the city, therefore, means Yahweh will provide peace.

Quote

"Shalom, 'peace,' is one of the richest words in the Bible...it gathers all aspects of wholeness that result from God's will being completed in us. It is the work of God, that, when complete, releases streams of living water in us and pulsates with eternal life. Every time Jesus healed, forgave, or called someone, we have a demonstration of shalom."
– Eugene Peterson, A Long Obedience in the Same Direction, 50-51.

Reflection

Psalm 122 is a psalm of worship sung by pilgrims as they climb the hill into Jerusalem. It was in Jerusalem where the temple of God was found (vv. 1-2). Jerusalem was built for worship, a place calling out to God’s people, “Come and remember the God who created you, redeemed you and provides for you (vv. 3-4). Today, we are God’s temple, and God is found not only in Jerusalem but across the globe wherever God’s people are found.

The temple was the place of authority and judgment. The biblical concept of judgment is not about punishment but rather straightening out and putting it right. It’s about putting love in motion, applying mercy, nullifying wrong, righting the ship, and bringing true justice to all (v. 5). Today, we are the ambassadors of this peace; the sort of peace that will never come about through wealth, power, politics, or fame.

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem, the psalmist declares, the place of worship, justice, and the presence of God (v. 6). Today, as God’s temple stretches across the globe, we continue to pray for peace in Jerusalem—that is, God’s people, the church, where worship, justice, and the presence of God are found. May we faithfully carry out our God-ordained purpose!

Prayer

Heavenly Father,

Jesus Christ brought God’s kingdom to us,

Holy Spirit, who empowers us to be kingdom ambassadors,

Help us, your people, the temple of the living God, to pursue peace — to put love in motion always, generously apply mercy where needed, nullify wrong and seek right, shining the light of Christ by fostering the attitude and mind of Christ.

Let there be peace on earth—in my life, my family, my church, my neighborhood, and my world—and let it begin with me.

In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.