Psalm 122:8 –
For the sake of my family and friends, I will say, “May you have peace.”
Sometimes I think the short Psalms take more time to unravel and decode than the longer ones. Like Psalm 121, this is a Psalm for Pilgrims ascending into Jerusalem. One thing you have to realize here is these are prayers and not necessarily Biblical “truths”. Like yesterday I got hung up on the phrase “all harm” and was trying to apply a “truth” to this. When in reality these are more “examples” of how to live our lives and how to pray. We need hope for peace for all.
That is what the Psalm is asking for is peace for all who believe. I pray for peace often, we live in a world of strife. Our nation is involved in three wars in Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya. I have no idea how many other battles are being fought around the world that are not covered or have been forgotten. No matter how many people are dying, the words of Rodney King hold true today … “can’t we all just get along?”
So when you pray, pray for peace in the world. Pray for peace in the home. Pray for peace in one’s heart. We all are in some state of turmoil, be it combat or internal struggles with addictions or concern over others close to us, and therefore need this prayer. Ask it for yourself also; since personally I can think of three or four things I am not at peace at this exact moment. The key is asking AND believing, where much of the time we ask, not expecting an answer. So pray in faith and have personal peace in your tumultuous life.
One quick note, I started talking about “truths” and “examples” in the Bible; let me expand on that quickly. If you break down the Bible there are 4 basic writings; commands, truths, examples and promises. “Commands” are things we need to follow and obey, like the Law. “Truths” are fundamental truths about God like always being. “Examples” are throughout the Bible as ways to live and follow God. Finally we have “promises”, which are God’s promises to you like Jesus returning. So think about that when you read your Bible.