576_The joy of dwelling in the city of God (Psalm 122) Psalm 122 I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go to the house of the Lord!” 2 Our feet have been standing within your gates, O Jerusalem! 3 Jerusalem—built as a city that is bound firmly together, 4 to which the tribes go up, the tribes of the Lord, as was decreed for Israel, to give thanks to the name of the Lord. 5 There thrones for judgment were set, the thrones of the house of David. 6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem! “May they be secure who love you! 7 Peace be within your walls and security within your towers!” 8 For my brothers and companions’ sake I will say, “Peace be within you!” 9 For the sake of the house of the Lord our God, I will seek your good. A traveler who, after years of wandering across continents, finally reached the gates of his childhood town. The moment he saw the familiar rooftops and the ancient walls, his heart surged with a joy he could not explain. It wasn’t simply the beauty of the place, nor the memories it held, but the sense of belonging—of standing once again where he knew he was meant to be. He later wrote in his journal, “There are some places the soul recognizes before the mind fully understands. Some gates you cross and instantly feel at home.” That sentiment mirrors the heartbeat of Psalm 122. It is the feeling of a pilgrim drawing near to Jerusalem, the holy city of God—the place where heaven and earth seemed to meet for the people of Israel. And it is also the feeling David describes when he bursts out in joy: “I was glad when they said unto me, ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord!’” His joy was not merely about traveling or tradition; it was the joy of drawing near to the dwelling place of God. Psalm 122 is the third of the Songs of Ascents but the first written by David. Interestingly, David wrote this long before the temple was built. The magnificent house of God that Solomon would construct existed only as a promise and a blueprint in David’s mind, yet his longing for God’s presence was as real as if the temple already stood. Throughout his life, David displayed a deep yearning to dwell with God—an ache, a holy hunger, that consistently appears in his psalms. “One thing have I asked of the Lord… that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life.” (Psalm 27:4) “As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God.” (Psalm 42:1) “In your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” (Psalm 16:11) These were not poetic exaggerations—they were the authentic cries of a man who knew that the deepest joy a human soul can taste is found in the presence of God. So when David says, “I was glad,” it is the gladness of someone who has been
