The Word to the World
Ever since the establishment of the nation-state of Israel in 1948, certain segments of the Christian church have become very excited about the city of Jerusalem. There is a narrative in certain church circles that Christians have a particular obligation to pray for the well-being
Psalm 120 begins a collection of fifteen psalms (120–134) known as the Songs of Ascent. There are many different theories as to the purpose of this collection. Perhaps most popularly, it is thought that these fifteen songs were sung by pilgrims as they ascended the
The past ten months have been a challenge for local churches and for those called to lead them. With the implementation, subsequent adjustments, lifting, and reintroduction of lockdown restrictions, most elders feel like Ezra when he pulled his hair out (Ezra 9:3). Sometimes, we have
Recent psalms have focused much on the destruction of Jerusalem and God’s people wrestling with why it had happened and how long their exile would last. Psalm 84 switches gears. Here, we sense a shift from lamenting God’s absence to rejoicing in God’s presence. This