Peace. (Twice!)

"Pray for the peace of Jerusalem, 'May they prosper who love you. Peace be within your walls, and security within your towers.' For the sake of my relatives and friends I will say, 'Peace be within you.' For the sake of the house of the LORD our God, I will seek your good."

(Psalm 122:6-9)

One of my favorite expressions to use is, "Peace be with you!" I say it all the time. I use it when I sign off on letters. It's part of my ethos now. So I was drawn to these verses from Psalm 122 that center around peace.

The author is speaking collectively to the city of Jerusalem. But it also fits for the people who live in the city. As s/he prays for peace for the city, the psalmist says two specific things:

1) Peace be within your walls and security within your towers...

This is the definition of peace that means a lack of conflict and war. Everyone wants to dwell in safety. No one should have to live in an environment where one feels threatened and insecure. If this could be the norm across the world, the world would instantly be a much better place! (yes, Lord!)

But there's another aspect of peace that the psalmist writes about...

2) "For the sake of my relative sand friends I will say, 'Peace be within you.'"

It's one thing to not feel threatened, but it's another thing altogether to have INTERNAL PEACE! To have one's soul calmed, quieted, and non-anxious. That's another gift that so many of us could use.

Physical and emotional security. Two gifts from God.

May it be so for ALL of us, everywhere in this world. AMEN.