In the Footsteps of Jesus #16

Scripture: Psalm 122

¹I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the LORD.

²Our feet shall stand within thy gates, O Jerusalem.

³Jerusalem is builded as a city that is compact together:

⁴Whither the tribes go up, the tribes of the LORD, unto the testimony of Israel, to give thanks unto the name of the LORD.

⁵For there are set thrones of judgment, the thrones of the house of David.

⁶Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee.

⁷Peace be within thy walls, and prosperity within thy palaces.

⁸For my brethren and companions' sakes, I will now say, Peace be within thee.

⁹Because of the house of the LORD our God I will seek thy good.

"PRAY FOR JERUSALEM"

A few of us had jumped off the bus at the end of the one day’s touring and took a self-guided tour of the Old City. Our wandering brought us to the Western Wall, better known as the Wailing Wall. This is the most sacred site in all of Judaism. The night we arrived was the start of the Sabbath. Hundreds of devout Jews were making their way to pray at the Wall.

Since it was raining we took refuge in a small alcove beneath the Wall. The room was filled with Jewish men deep in prayer. Taking a copy of the Psalms off the shelves that lined the room we moved close to the wall. We read the words of Psalm 122. After we had finished I offered up a prayer for the people of Jerusalem. As I was praying I felt a hand upon my shoulder, it was an elderly Jewish man who was moved by the fact that Christians would pray for him and his fellow Jews. It was a special moment for him as well as us.

How quick we are to forget that the Jews are still God’s people. He has a plan for them and for Jerusalem. It was to them that He first sent the Savior. We are indebted to them. Let us remember to pray for the Peace of Jerusalem!

Question: How are we indebted to the Jewish people?

Prayer: Father, open the eyes of the Jews to see their Messiah. Amen.