Psalm 122 reads as follows from the King James version of the bible: 1] I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the LORD. [2] Our feet shall stand within thy gates, O Jerusalem. [3] Jerusalem is builded as a city that is compact together: [4] Whither the tribes go up, the tribes of the LORD, unto the testimony of Israel, to give thanks unto the name of the LORD. [5] For there are set thrones of judgment, the thrones of the house of David. [6] 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. Central to this psalm is the seeking of the good for others through prayer. A central thought of the intercessions are on prosperity, and peace, both of which are found from the Lord. It is interesting that this psalm doesn’t have the contrasting troubles, or difficulties that are often mentioned in the psalms. The elements of what prosperity is aren’t specifically identified by the psalm but they are identified with place and within the palaces of Jerusalem. But the first part of this psalm says that we will go, meaning there is a direction that involves prosperity and peace and prayer itself, it is someplace that we go to or journey towards. There is a within quality to prayer, to the prosperity and peace and to the prayers themselves that are widely of intercessions and for the sake of thy good or the good of the psalmist’s companions or friends. The prayer and prosperity is found in the house of the Lord, or within the house of his “ graces”. In verse 2 it says, “ Our feet shall stand within your gates, O Jerusalem”. Peace and prosperity is represented as a place that an individual or group of individuals stand upon and the question is are you standing in God’s grace for you for peace and prosperity? Here it seems nothing is lost, neither peace, neither prosperity, neither companionship or fellowship in the great city of the Lord. The element of action that is upheld by the psalmist is consideration of others within the place of prayer for them. His say is important in the matter of prayer and his prayer, blesses others for the sake of their good. The psalmist, has his say in prayer as per verse 8 where it says,” For my brethren and companions’ sake I will now say, Peace be within thee. The psalmist realizes the importance and the power of his intercessions and how what he says in prayer will move into the realities of others. Yet he himself is grateful to be a part of the wider celebration of the Lord in the great city as he also gives voice to this celebration. Things are kept together in this psalm for the good for the one and for the many and prayer is a part and parcel of this. This psalm is also about direction and there is a direction to peace and prosperity as the psalm mentions twice let us go. Within prayer itself, it is good to change directions and see what prayers bring peace and prosperity. Feelings of peace in prayer are used in the matter of discernment. Here the psalmist David goes in the direction of intercessions for the good of others and these intercessions involve the peace and prosperity of others. His prayers head in that direction. Also, judgement is mentioned here, the context is more in terms of a favorable judgement found in seeking the Lord and his favor. While the times have changed the truth of the psalm is that prosperity and peace is someplace that we go towards, it is a direction.
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