Psalms 122 – “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, that is built As a city that is compact together; 4 To which the tribes go up, even the tribes of the LORD  An ordinance for Israel — To give thanks to the name of the LORD.  5 For there thrones were set for judgment, The thrones of the house of David.  6 Pray for the peace of  Jerusalem: “May they prosper who love you. 7 “May peace be within your walls, And prosperity within your palaces.” 8 For the sake of my brothers and my friends, I will now say, ” May peace be within you.” 9 For the sake of the house of the LORD our God, I will seek your good.” NASB

David’s love for worship is unparalleled in Scripture.  His love for the Lord, his desire to be in the presence of the Lord, and his quick response to a revealed sin through repentance caused him to be identified by God as, “a man after My own heart.”

It is good to learn to worship and praise God while we are alone, but there is something irreplaceable in a gathering of others for the express purpose of worshipping God.  You draw strength from those around you as their joy, exuberance, faith, and presence encourage you to enter in and continue.  No man is an island.  No man or woman lives or dies to themselves we need others for this journey.

David recognized that God’s presence was the key to life.  In the second portion, he identifies a need to pray for the peace of Jerusalem.  Why?  Jerusalem represents the seat of the government of God.  David is crying that God not only is Lord in Jerusalem but in so doing be Lord in the hearts of all men.  It is only as God is the center of our lives that we walk in victory continuingly.

God is to be sought first and foremost.  He is to be placed above all else. He is to be relied on and trusted explicitly. He is to govern our lives in every aspect and dimension.  As we allow His love to permeate our hearts and lives, we become vessels of honor to be used by Him in the labors of His Kingdom.

May God bless you as you go through your day.