Polishing your Soul

Psalm 122

A song of ascents. Of David.

¹ I rejoiced with those who said to me,
“Let us go to the house of the Lord.”
² Our feet are standing
in your gates, Jerusalem.

³ Jerusalem is built like a city
that is closely compacted together.
⁴ That is where the tribes go up—
the tribes of the Lord—
to praise the name of the Lord
according to the statute given to Israel.
⁵ There stand the thrones for judgment,
the thrones of the house of David.

⁶ Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:
“May those who love you be secure.
⁷ May there be peace within your walls
and security within your citadels.”
⁸ For the sake of my family 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 prosperity.

David writes this Psalm long before the temple is built, yet Jerusalem is the place where the tabernacle is, where Gods presence resides so the people come. David sees the joy of the people coming to worship. It’s a place of unity and peace between tribes, all coming for one purpose – to worship God.

How much more should the church today be like this, since we have the presence of God, the Holy Spirit, dwelling not just in a place but within us. We come from our various homes and families to worship God on Sundays, so many different backgrounds, in unity, worshiping Christ our saviour.  So, let’s be like David and rejoice in going to the house of the Lord, may there always be peace in the church and between each other as a witness to the world. Someone recently said, that coming to church was like ‘polishing my soul’, such a beautiful picture as we come to worship.

Lord, I’m aware that there are so many peoples throughout the world that can’t come and worship you freely in unity or in peace, but may we here in Australia, always have joy when we come to worship you, to ‘polish our souls’.  Amen

Written by Suzie Hodgson