“But You, Lord… will arise and have compassion on Zion; for it is time to be gracious to her, for the appointed time has come. Surely Your servants take pleasure in her stones, and feel pity for her dust. So the nations will fear the name of the Lord, and all the kings of the earth, Your glory. For the Lord has built up Zion; He has appeared in His glory.” Psalm 102:12-16
What beautiful verse from Psalm 122. After remembering yesterday to never be silent concerning Jerusalem, we have the promise that God will arise one day and have mercy upon Zion! As it says in this Psalm, “For it is time to be gracious to [Zion], for the appointed time has come!” Now is the time for Zion to find favor before the King of the Universe. But how do we remind God of His promises concerning Jerusalem? We read it in the very next verse. It says, “Your servants take pleasure in her stones, and feel pity for dust. So the nations will fear the Name of the Lord.” When we, as the servants of God, show regard for Jerusalem, the nations will fear the Name of the Lord, arousing God to show favor to Zion – His dwelling place, which He chose forever! Do we love the physical stones of Jerusalem, do we long to breathe in the air and feel the dust of Zion under our feet, or are we happy where we are? Everyone wants change, but no one is willing to change. Everyone is spiritually hungry, but no one is willing to do the work to be fed. Let us not be content with our spiritual hunger, but let us be the ones who rise and stand in the streets of Jerusalem, not as tourists looking at ancient history, but rather as children of a King who see future redemption hidden just below the surface. We must learn to love the city of our Father, for if it is His home, then it is ours as well! So come visit Jerusalem, for it is, as Psalm 48 puts it, “the joy of the whole earth, [and] the city of the great King.”
Prayer for Day 26
Father, we are sorry for disregarding the place that You desire to show favor; Your holy city, Jerusalem. We have never thought of Jerusalem as the joy of the whole earth; the news media and TV show us the exact opposite of joy. Instead of joy, we see terrorism, dangers, and a host of other reasons we should stay away from this city. Forgive us for seeing things through the eyes of the world and their opinions; we genuinely want to see Jerusalem become a place of salvation and praise for the entire world. Let us see Jerusalem through Your eyes. Let us be those servants who love the stones of Jerusalem and show favor to her dust. Jerusalem is more than a beautiful calendar picture or a place to barter for cheap goods; it is Your home! Help us see it as our home as well… We say, “O Lord, now is the time, not tomorrow, not in a week, month, or year, but now, now is the time to favor Zion!” In the Name above all names, Amen.
*Article used with permission: Dire Straits of Redemption – Twenty One Days to Transform the World, Samuel Wearp, 2024.
