Advent-Christmas Devotions
Tuesday, November 25
Psalm 122
1 I was glad when they said to me,
“Let us go to the house of the Lord!”
2 Our feet are standing
within your gates, O Jerusalem.
3 Jerusalem—built as a city
that is bound firmly together.
4 To it the tribes go up,
the tribes of the Lord,
as was decreed for Israel,
to give thanks to the name of the Lord.
5 For there the thrones for judgment were set up,
the thrones of the house of David.
6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:
“May they prosper who love you.
7 Peace be within your walls
and security within your towers.”
8 For the sake of my relatives and friends
I will say, “Peace be within you.”
9 For the sake of the house of the Lord our God,
I will seek your good.
“… 2 Our feet are standing within your gates, O Jerusalem. …”
At the end of the Seder, the Jewish meal celebrating Passover, participants typically say, “Next year in Jerusalem.” In many ways, it reflects the desire of the people of faith to return to their homeland. Even more, however, it is a prayer for deliverance, redemption, and renewal. In that way, it also reflects a longing deeply held in all of us.
After all, in the Scriptures, Jerusalem was seen as a place of refuge and safety especially after the escape from Egypt. In addition, the messianic prophecies identified Jerusalem as the location for the coming of the redeemer. Finally, it is Jerusalem that serves as the center of renewal for all people – to which all nations are drawn.
For us, as people of faith, we share those same desires. Ours is not a literal Jerusalem but a spiritual one. Identified not with a physical location but with the coming of Jesus Christ. He is the source of our deliverance from sin, death, and the devil. He is the source of our redemption and eternal life. He is the means of our renewal and restoration.
So, while we may not join our Jewish sisters and brothers in praying “Next year in Jerusalem”. In many ways, we share their desire for deliverance, redemption, and renewal.
Prayer: Come, Lord Jesus, and deliver us, redeem us, and renew us. Amen.