November 23, 2009
I SAY WE PRAY
Psalm 122
Michelle Fieker
Central Truth
Praying for others can be the avenue God uses to change the world and people around us.
Key Verse | Psalm 122:6–8
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem!
May those who love her prosper!
May there be peace inside your defenses,
and prosperity inside your fortresses!
For the sake of my brothers and my neighbors
I will say, “May there be peace in you!” (Psalm 122:6-8)
Psalm 122
Let Us Go to the House of the LORD
A Song of Ascents. Of David.
1
I was glad when they said to me,
“Let us go to the house of the LORD!”
2
Our feet have been standing
within your gates, O Jerusalem!
3
Jerusalem—built as a city
that is bound firmly together,
4
to which the tribes go up,
the tribes of the LORD,
as was decreed for
1
122:4
Or as a testimony for
Israel,
to give thanks to the name of the LORD.
5
There thrones for judgment were set,
the thrones of the house of David.
6
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem!
“May they be secure who love you!
7
Peace be within your walls
and security within your towers!”
8
For my brothers and companions' sake
I will say, “Peace be within you!”
9
For the sake of the house of the LORD our God,
I will seek your good.
Dive Deeper | Psalm 122
In Psalm 122 David is describing the joy that he and the other pilgrims felt when arriving in Jerusalem to worship God and attend an annual feast at the temple. In verses 2-5 the travelers have just arrived and are marveling over the beauty of the city gates. They continue through the gates and uphill to the temple complex where they are anxious to worship God. In verses 6-9 the psalmist begins to pray for peace for the brothers and sisters of Jerusalem. He understood that only prayer would bring true peace to the people and city of Jerusalem.
I confess that prayer is often an area in my life that is hard and discouraging for me. It’s easy to let the whirlwind of daily life take the place of communicating with Christ. I am very quick to pray for my own wants and needs, but I often forget to pray for the people around me or those living in my city. Yet, I know that a faithful Young Life leader prayed for me for over two years before I finally made the decision to follow Christ my junior year of high school. Those prayers changed the course of my entire life.
The psalmist David prayed for peace for the people of Jerusalem and knew that God could heal their hearts and souls. He knew that the world could not offer true peace. How often during the day do I pray for the needs of others? What about the person at the grocery store, or a neighbor, or a family member who is far from Christ? Jesus Christ is the one who can offer true inner healing from hurts, habits, and hangups. He is in the business of changing lives through prayer. Let’s commit to be brothers and sisters who pray for the people God has placed around us.
Discussion Questions
1. How are you doing in your prayer life? What are some of the distractions that keep you from praying?
2. Who could you commit to pray for on a daily basis? Make a top ten list of people for whom you could be praying.
3. Take time this week to write or call someone you have been praying for lately.