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Daily Devotion: Psalm 122:6-9

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Psalm 122:6-9    "Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee.  (7)  Peace be within thy walls, and prosperity within thy palaces.  (8)  For my brethren and companions' sakes, I will now say, Peace be within thee.  (9)  Because of the house of the LORD our God I will seek thy good."

There is a simple acronym using the letters of joy that carries a great meaning.  J-O-Y  Jesus, first. Others, second, Yourself last.  Life becomes of sweeter meaning if we follow that simple guideline. Again, I'm not writing this as one who has mastered the subject; therefore, you can know I'm writing to myself as being in most need of this reminder.

The Psalmist instructs us to "pray for the peace of Jerusalem."  The first verse spoke of his gladness for going into the House of the Lord.  Now he speaks of the city of Jerusalem. My question would be, Has David changed subjects?  The answer, in my understanding, is no he has not changed subjects. When he speaks of praying for the peace of Jerusalem, he understands the very focal point of the city is that beautiful temple where the Lord God is worshipped. He is acknowledging that God is the source of all peace of heart and mind. We, today, are most blessed because God has manifested that peace in the person of His blessed Son, Jesus Christ. Christ is our peace; therefore, if He is first in our lives then we can find peace.

If there is to be peace in Jerusalem, the city, then there must be peace within the walls of the House of the Lord.  I will carry that to the entire nation. If there is peace in the nation, then the peace of God must be the ruling standard for which we seek. Where do we go to learn of that peace?  We pray. We read and study the Word of God. We go to the House of God to hear the Word of God expounded unto us. The more we learn about Jesus and His care for us, the more we experience that peace that passes all understanding. So, it behooves us to pray for the peace of God to be manifested in the House of God.

If there is peace within the House of the Lord, then there will be peace within our hearts. But in order to experience that peace, we should be "glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the House of the Lord."  We go to the Lord's House and listen to the Word. But also in the Lord's House, we find the encouragement of others. We see their joy and their zeal for the Lord. We pray for them that their zeal will continue and grow. And the beauty of it all is that as we place Christ first in our lives and pray for others, we will find that all elusive joy and peace will be in our hearts as we have placed them ahead of ourselves. God is good in that when we follow His direction, we find that which is of the utmost importance in our day to day living: peace and joy. Jesus first. Others second Yourself (myself) last.

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