Imagine visiting someplace so steeped in faith and history that it made you cry.  This is an ancient picture of Jerusalem from 3000 years ago found in Psalm 87.  Let’s make this picture come alive for us today!

I’ve traveled a lot and one of the most amazing discoveries I’ve made is that no matter where I am, people seem to know I’m an American – even before I speak.  I’ve often wondered if it was the way I walk, how I sit down, my hat, or the way I shave.   Of course, when I start to talk and say things like “ya” and “you-betcha,” everyone says, “I knew it – I knew you were from Fargo, North Dakota!”

Most historians agree that America has stood out as the primary influencer of the world for the last 100 years through the media, music, and the military.  Today, English is the primary language of the world and almost everyone has a little part of America, in them whether officially or not.

Three thousand years ago, Jerusalem was this way, and the writer of Psalm 87 longed for the day when all nations, whether friend or foe, would come to know the Lord, whose glorious temple, adorned in gold, stood as the centerpiece of worship inside the great city of Jerusalem.

When Psalm 87 says, “Everyone has become a citizen” (Psalm 87:5) there can be no doubt that this is a prophecy of the day when people of all nations would worship Jesus, who was crucified and rose from the dead in Jerusalem.  There is no doubt that Jerusalem, more than any other place, is considered the center of Christianity.

Perhaps this is why the book of Revelation also prophecies, “I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.  And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying: ‘Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man, and He will dwell with them.  They will be His people, and God Himself will be with them as their God.  He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the former things have passed away” (Revelation 21:2-4).

Can we even begin to imagine a more amazing and glorious place!  No wonder Psalm 87 ends with these great words, “The people will sing, ‘The source of my life is in Jerusalem!’” (Psalm 87:7).

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Let’s pray:  Dear Jesus, you are Lord.  You are the center of our faith and the source of our life.  All nations belong to you.  Help us, Lord, to always look to you.  More than being citizens of America or of any other country, we want to be citizens of heaven.  We want to give our lives to you.  Amen!