The God Who Restores - AdventSample

Seeking the Peace of God

Read: Psalm 122

SOAP: Psalm 122:8–9

For the sake of my brothers and my neighbors I will say, “May there be peace in you.” For the sake of the temple of the Lᴏʀᴅ our God I will pray for you to prosper.

Into the Text

Once a year, the people of Israel would travel to Jerusalem to make sacrifices and worship God. As they did, they would recite and sing what we now refer to as the Psalms of Ascent (Psalm 120—134). These songs reminded the people of God's goodness, His temple's splendor, and the peace they had in Him.

Psalm 122 is a call to worship. The people sang this together as they traveled up (literally, up, as Jerusalem is on top of a mountain) to the temple. They reminded one another of where they were going and why they were going there. They prayed for peace in Jerusalem, for the prosperity of the people of God, and peace for God’s people, even as they were scattered around the region.

As we read these words today, we can see the connection with Isaiah’s words telling the people of the coming glory of Jerusalem, when all peoples would come to worship God together on His mountain. We live in the in-between, the waiting, the promise not yet realized.

Advent is a season of waiting. We know the Christ-child has come to us, that the Messiah has already overcome sin and death. But we wait for His return, His second Advent when all will be restored and made new, and when all God’s people will finally gather together at His temple and worship Him.

As we wait, we can pray like the people of Israel did as they journeyed to the temple. This psalm reminds us to pray for the various communities of God’s people today. We lift one another up, praying for prosperity, peace, and security. We can rest in His peace no matter what we face, no matter what is happening around us, because He will keep His promise. He will redeem, restore, and repair all that has been lost. May we have peace as we wait for Him.