A Year in Luke/ActsSample

Psalm 122 is a song of ascents, to be sung approaching Jerusalem on pilgrimage. This is the journey Jesus is making in this section of Luke’s gospel. Verse 6 of the Psalm says to pray for the peace of Jerusalem and we see Jesus lamenting over the city in Luke 13:34. The city that literally means “city of peace” has seen so much conflict over the years. We have been going through the gospel of Luke. We saw many Jews who thought they were first in God’s kingdom but were in reality, a long way off. We who are Gentiles must always remember that we are grafted into the family of God and pray for our Jewish brothers and sisters (Romans 11:11-31).

As we prepare to gather today as the Body of Christ, we can also remember that God’s family now includes people from all nations. In Jesus, we are made one. So as we pray for the peace of Jerusalem, we can also bring any other nation or city that we know is facing war or violence before the Lord.

Psalm 122:9 says “For the sake of the house of the Lord our God, I will seek your good.” Because of the Holy Spirit, we now believe that every human being has the opportunity to become a house of God (1 Peter 2:15). Therefore, we should not just seek the good of Jerusalem, but of all cities.