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“May those who love you be secure. May there be peace within your walls and security within your citadels.” Psalm 122:6b-7

Soberanes Trail, Garapatta State Park, CA - 8/3/20

According to Bible Commentary the psalmist was referring to Jerusalem. Jerusalem was built as a “well-knit city and this psalm most likely echoed the account of the tabernacle’s construction. If so, then Jerusalem was being celebrated as the earthly residence of God.”

In verse 6, the writer refers to all who love Jerusalem and are devoted to the Lord as those who will be blessed with security and prosperity.

We know that Jesus' lineage is traced back to King David and Jerusalem was considered the City of David. Furthermore, the Bible tells us that God chose Israel as his people, and that he dwelled within the temple’s “holy of holies.”

Yet now, because of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and the arrival of the Holy Spirit, believers understand that there is a new dwelling place for God. Not one behind a curtain, or inside the walls of a chosen city, but within the chosen hearts and souls of mankind.

“Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?” 1 Corinthians 3:16

Psalm 122 celebrated the opportunity for God’s people to go to “His House” and worship him. God’s temple was considered a holy, honored, and happy place. The psalm also served as a reminder to pray for those who dwelled in the City of God.

While modern applications can be made about today’s church attendance and praying for fellow believers, Psalm 122 also serves as a relevant reminder to pray for peace within God’s dwelling place now: our hearts.

”Above all else, guard your heart…” Proverbs 4:23

We are the earthly residence of God.

As God’s dwelling, is your heart a holy and honored place? Is it a place of joy and peace? Or is it a place of war?

The Bible is clear that as Christians, we will be under spiritual attack. But we forget that attacks don’t always come from the outside by some obvious enemy. Sometimes the ambush can come from within. The Enemy can lead a mutiny on our mind and if we aren’t careful, we may believe these thoughts are ours, or worse, God’s.

What lies are you allowing to ram the gates of your heart?

If I am truthful, throughout the day I let my guard down and make small agreements with the enemy.

“You’re wasting your life.”
“You’re aimless.”
“You’re invisible.”
“You’ve made too many mistakes.”
“You’re being punished.”
“You’re too late.”
“You’re a failure.”
“You’re too loud, too emotional, too much.”
”You’re worthless.”

When I let these thoughts enter my mind and heart, I’m letting the enemy into God’s City.

And it’s treason.

We call these thoughts insecurities because they shake our foundation, our very being, our heart. And if we lose heart, our City threatens to collapse on itself. “…every city or house divided against itself will not stand…” (Matthew 12:25)

Psalm 122 is a reminder that security comes from God and His love. We must realign our focus, not on ourselves but on Him.

“I lift up my eyes to the hills— where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip— he who watches over you will not slumber. The Lord will keep you from all harm— he will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.” (Psalm 121)

God can keep us from all harm, even the harm we may let in ourselves, but we must look to Him for that help. Only when we refocus on God and His Word will we have peace within our walls and citadels.

So, what does God say about us?

We are loved. (John 3:16)
We are His. (1 John 3:1)
We are children of light. (Ephesians 5:8)
We are citizens of heaven. (Philippians 3:20)
We are called. (2 Peter 1:3)
We are chosen. (Revelation 17:14)
We are delighted in. (Zephaniah 3:17)
We have a purpose. (Jeremiah 29:11)
We are victorious. (1 Corinthians 15:57)
We have a glorious future. (Romans 8:18)

What ugly whispers are battering the walls of your heart? Ask God to reveal and break your treaties with the enemy. Ask him to strengthen your security and peace by being rooted in His love.

Let us fortify our castle and reclaim God’s Truth this week. Let His House, your heart, be a place of joy, peace, security, and worship.

Have you ever sat down to spend time in God’s Word to only dwell on your sin? Instead of finding refreshment, you are flooded with remorse.

San Buenaventura State Beach, CA - 7/17/20

Throughout Psalm 119, the psalmist declared his great love for God’s Word for which he endured many hardships. There have been times in my life when I have been persecuted or wrongly accused and I can relate:

“I have suffered much; preserve my life, O Lord, according to your word.” v. 107

But lately, I have read these verses with a pang of guilt, reliving the times when I have been the one to set the snare, when I have been the one to dig the pit.

“Though the arrogant have smeared me with lies, I keep your precepts with all my heart. Their hearts are callous and unfeeling, but I delight in your law.” v. 69-70

“The arrogant dig pitfalls for me, contrary to your law.” v. 85

The more I read about the righteous author who suffered at the hands of others, the more I thought about how I have caused suffering. I have said and done cruel things that have harmed people, and not always unintentionally.

In Scripture, descriptive words such as ‘rebuke, arrogant, cursed, scorn, contempt, slander, mock, wicked, shame, and destroy’ surround those who cause affliction.

I poured out my heart to God, begging He’d make me like this righteous Psalmist who delighted in His law. But these were not the lofty prayers of a saint. I was desperate. Worried. No matter how much I repented, I felt no comfort or reassurance.

The truth was, I was afraid.

I was afraid I was the antagonist in the story, that I was the bad guy. My record proved my greatest joy was not keeping God’s commands. Instead my history revealed sin. I was afraid that my legacy would be embarrassing. Ugly. Wicked. And only a source of great shame to me and to God.

But tucked within a familiar stanza under the hebrew letter Nun, I found a simple word, a treasure containing a wealth of comfort and hope.

“Your statutes are my heritage forever; they are the joy of my heart.” v. 111

My heritage.

Bible commentary notes that heritage refers to “the possession I have received from God as my homestead.”

Homestead. Webster defines this word as an ancestral home.

This means that God’s law, His Word, is my ancestral home. His commands are where I belong. His Word is from where I derive. God’s Story is my origin.

Furthermore, Webster defines the word heritage as something acquired from a predecessor: a legacy, or an inheritance.

Psalm 119:57 says, “You are my portion, O Lord; I have promised to obey your words.” The word portion, again, means inheritance.

A beautiful truth began to bloom in my heart:

I am not defined by my history.

My past is defined by His Story.

As an adopted child of the King, the legacy I leave behind will not be one of shame and regret. I am part of a greater, far more epic story that can be traced back before Adam and Eve. It predates the Fall. So when the Real Antagonist whispers that our lives are nothing more than a record of sins, God reminds us to flip back to the beginning of the Book to see how our story began, when His relationship with us was good, pure, and whole. That’s our true heritage. That’s our real ancestral home.

And it was Paradise.

So even now, when all seems wrong and wicked, whether in the world or in our own lives, remember we are only in the middle of His Story.

In the Lord of the Rings, there is a defining scene when Frodo and Samwise are caught up in a battle against the orcs. Having suffered under the ring’s heavy burden and having witnessed so much death and destruction, Frodo is overcome with grief and hopelessness. In this moment, Samwise remembers the bigger picture:

“It's like the great stories, Mr. Frodo, the ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger they were, and sometimes you didn't want to know the end because how could the end be happy? How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad has happened? But in the end, it's only a passing thing this shadow, even darkness must pass. A new day will come, and when the sun shines, it'll shine out the clearer. I know now folks in those stories had lots of chances of turning back, only they didn't. They kept going because they were holding on to something. That there's some good in this world, Mr. Frodo, and it's worth fighting for.”

You and I, dear Christian, are holding onto something too. God’s Word is not only our past but also our future. Our heritage and our inheritance.

“He who was seated on the throne said, ‘I am making everything new!’ Then he said, ‘Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.’” -Revelation 21:5

All that was broken will be mended.
All wounds will be healed.
All wrongs will be made right.
All things will be made new.

As a believer, this is my birthright. No matter where I am in my story, no matter how many mistakes I’ve made, I need not fear:

My future is not determined by my efforts.

My future is destined for Eternity.

When we’ve placed our hope in Jesus, His story becomes our story. It began in Paradise and is headed there too.

So take heart. The ending is good.

San Buenaventura State Beach, CA - 7/15/20

Peace Within Your Walls

Our Heritage, Our Inheritance