Tim Maas Retired Quality Assurance Specialist with the U.S. Army

Earlier in the psalm in which the verse cited in the question is found, David spoke of Jerusalem in Psalm 122:3-4 as a unifying force for the twelve tribes of Israel -- a city to which people from each (and all) of those tribes could go up to worship their common God. The product of such unity would be peace -- a peace that would be eminently worth praying for, both for the sake of the welfare of each individual tribe, as well as for the welfare of the collective nation of Israel to which those tribes belonged (from the standpoint both of their security, and of obtaining God's blessing). 

I would say that, in today's context, the peace of Jerusalem remains an object of prayer for Christians, both as a condition in which God's people will not be subject to opposition, persecution, or internal division, but can be of maximum effect in acting as emissaries of the love of God that Jesus described in John 3:16; and as a desired goal for the city of Jerusalem itself, due to its continued importance to God and its prophesied role in end-times events.

February 03 2020 • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report

Jack Gutknecht ABC/DTS graduate, guitar music ministry Baptist church

Because I believe that God commands praying for Jerusalem's peace, I do so every day. I pray that the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6) would come quickly (Revelation 22:20 KJV) and set up His Kingdom of Peace (Romans 14:17).

And I pray and acknowledge that this, His Kingdom of Peace, would never cease (Dan. 4:3; Isa. 43:13), that it is "peace like a river" (Isaiah 66:12 GWT), and that it is a "peace that passeth all understanding" (Philippians 4:7 KJV). I then agree with Jesus that it is totally and absolutely different than this world's peace (John 14:27).

"It is selfish to want personal prosperity when the emphasis here is on the city of God, the chosen people of God (Ps 122:6-8), and the house of God (Ps 122:9). But there is an application to believers today, for we are God’s people, citizens of the heavenly country, and we must pray for one another and for the ministry of the churches. We belong to each other, we need each other, and we must help each other. We must pray for peace within and among the churches. We must pray for the needs of “our brothers and friends,” and surely we must pray for the lost." —Warren Wiersbe

Psalm 122:8 NCV:
"To help my relatives and friends, I say, 'Let Jerusalem have peace.'”

February 04 2020 • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report