Psalm 87 (edition, The Message)
1-3 He founded Zion on the Holy Mountain— and oh, how GOD loves his home!
Loves it far better than all
the homes of Jacob put together!
God's hometown—oh!
everyone there is talking about you!
4 I name them off, those among whom I'm famous:
Egypt and Babylon,
also Philistia,
even Tyre, along with Cush.
Word's getting around; they point them out:
"This one was born again here!"
5 The word's getting out on Zion:
"Men and women, right and left,
get born again in her!"
6 GOD registers their names in his book:
"This one, this one, and this one—
born again, right here."
7 Singers and dancers give credit to Zion:
"All my springs are in you!"
The city of God……Jerusalem…Zion …the city that God loved better than all the other cities. The psalmist tells us an amazing thing…that even those who were born elsewhere could still claim Zion as their hometown if they loved God. They were more than honorary citizens; they were official citizens! The song writer goes on to say that the singers and dancers found their source, their springs of living water in the City of God.
O Lord, where is my Jerusalem? Where is my Zion? Is it in Acton, in Fort Worth? Is it in Washington DC or Bethlehem or the state of Israel? Where is my City of God?
I want to be a citizen of that place! I want my roots to run so deep under the City of God that I am nourished forever, so that I can survive times of drought and pestilence, through the bad choices I make and through my sins of omission. I want to be so rooted in the City of God that even March winds or the winds of disappointment or grief can’t shake me. I want my singing to come from a deep well of faith and of knowledge that I am a beloved citizen of that City.
Perhaps it is found in your Word, O Lord. Perhaps I can find your City in study, in service, in prayer, in worship, in community wherever that might be. Perhaps your Holy Spirit can whoosh me there in fanciful, unimaginable ways.
Keep me dancing, Lord, and singing with the joy that comes from your perfect nourishment. May I never stray from the springs bubbling deep under the City of God. May I spend my life in official citizenship of the state of mind called the City of God.
Suzanne Cate
