I read this passage in my time with God this morning, and the Spirit of God moved me to really believe and pray it for our church:
For the LORD has chosen Jerusalem; he has desired it for his home. 14 “This is my resting place forever,” he said. “I will live here, for this is the home I desired. 15 I will bless this city and make it prosperous; I will satisfy its poor with food. 16 I will clothe its priests with godliness; its faithful servants will sing for joy. 17 Here I will increase the power of David; my anointed one will be a light for my people. 18 I will clothe his enemies with shame, but he will be a glorious king.” Psalm 132:13-15 (NLT)
Rephrased for us:
May God give us, the Summit Church, the blessing belonging to Jerusalem and her ultimate fulfillment, Jesus. May he bless us to be a light to our city and to the nations.
We are humbled that God has chosen to bless our church, manifesting his Spirit in and through us in his glorious work of salvation and sanctification, bringing the lost into our midst and sending us out to the uttermost parts of the earth. We are not worthy to be inhabited by God’s Spirit, and we did nothing to earn it. He has done it because he so desired it. We are grateful; let it be to us, Lord Jesus, according to your word.
May God here feed the poor, starting with those of us poor in spirit, hungering for his word, and continuing through us to those starving in soul or body in our community. May God grace our pastors, ministry and small group leaders with holiness, the greatest gift we could give to our congregation. May our spouses and families love Jesus and shine as lights for him in the world. May many more families in RDU learn to rejoice in God as a result of our church’s testimony.
Increase the power of Jesus in our midst, not for our sake, but for the sake of the people you are saving in RDU, and through us in “ruthless cities” (Isa 25:3) around the world. May those who rise up against us fail in their schemes, but help us always to keep a sweet spirit toward them, inviting them into the fellowship of the Father through the crucified Jesus.
All this was fulfilled in Jesus, and we now bear his name, so we boldly claim the inheritance that is his, Amen.
