Serve your nation
Serve your nation
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem. Psalm 122:6
Jerusalem, the nation
Jerusalem at David’s time had several connotations. Jerusalem was the new capital of a united nation of Israel. In the United States it would be the equivalent of saying, “Pray for the peace of Washington, D.C.” The nation’s capital stands for the whole nation.
Pray for the peace of your nation. Someone once asked me, “What caused the Berlin Wall to fall?” I thought it was a history question. I launched into a “this event caused the next event to happen” monologue. After I had exhausted myself, he just smiled and said, “The Berlin Wall came down because every week for 20 years our congregation prayed that God would defeat godless communism.”
I grew up during the height of the Cold War. I remember crouching in the school hallway as part of our civil defense drill. But the Soviet Union we feared is gone! Why? Because someone prayed! “The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective” (James 5:16).
Our nation is at war today. A new threat exists. Pray for our nation. Pray with confidence that, if it be God’s will, he will grant our nation victory over our enemies. “Nothing can hinder the Lord from saving, whether by many or by few” (1 Samuel 14:6).
Jerusalem, the church
Jerusalem in King David’s day had another connotation. It was the center of worship. “For the sake of the house of the Lord our God, I will seek your prosperity” (Psalm 122:9). As we pray for our nation, we are also praying for the Christian church that carries out its work in our nation. Paul told us to pray “for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness” (1 Timothy 2:2).
Tags:
