In today’s Advent reflection, we look at Psalm 122 — a psalm of ascent that reminds us of God’s faithfulness and the power of His promises. As we hear the call to “pray for the peace of Jerusalem,” we’re led to remember the deeper covenant story running through Scripture: God made promises to Abraham, Moses, David, and the prophets, and every one of those promises finds its fulfillment in Jesus, the true Son of David and the Savior of the world. If God has kept His promises across thousands of years, then we can trust He’ll keep the ones He’s made to us right now — His presence, His forgiveness, His strength, His peace. So as we head into the weekend and sit with our Advent readings, we hold fast to the God who never breaks His word, standing on His promises and trusting that the same faithful God of Scripture is walking with us today.
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Well, good morning, y’all.
It’s good to be with you on this Friday morning as we wrap up our week together.
You know, we’ve been using our Advent devotional guide — the little Advent 2025: A Calendar of Devotions booklet. We noticed Wednesday night we’re running a little low on the ones out front, but don’t worry — we have plenty more. If you haven’t picked one up yet, swing by the church and grab one anytime. We’d love for you to have it.
As a reminder, I don’t do Rooted on the weekends, so you’ll have Saturday and Sunday to read on your own and sit with the Scripture and the devotional. Take a few quiet moments and let the Lord speak to you.
Today’s reading comes from Psalm 122, one of the great “Psalms of Ascent.” These were the psalms sung or recited by worshipers as they made their way up to Jerusalem, up toward the Temple. It sits right next to Psalm 121 — one of my top five psalms — so this one is in good company.
Let’s read it together.
Psalm 122
*I was glad when they said to me,
“Let us go to the house of the Lord!”
Our feet are standing within your gates, O Jerusalem.
Jerusalem—built as a city
that is bound firmly together.
To it the tribes go up,
the tribes of the Lord,
as was decreed for Israel,
to give thanks to the name of the Lord.
For there the thrones for judgment were set up,
the thrones of the house of David.
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:
“May they prosper who love you.
Peace be within your walls,
and security within your towers.”
For the sake of my relatives and friends
I will say, “Peace be within you.”
For the sake of the house of the Lord our God,
I will seek your good.*
You’ve probably heard that famous line before: “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem.”
And that is still a good, holy prayer today — for a city and a region that has known more conflict than any place should ever know.
But since we’re in Advent, let’s look at this psalm through the lens of Advent — through the lens of God’s promises.
The heart of the psalm is really in verses 3–5, where it speaks of Jerusalem as the place where the tribes go up, and especially where the thrones of the house of David were set.
And that takes us directly into one of the themes you hear me talk about often: covenant.
The whole Bible in three movements
I’ll give you the whole sweep of Scripture quickly:
- Creation — God made everything good.
- The Fall — humanity disobeyed, and everything broke.
- Everything after Genesis 3 — all the way to Revelation — is the story of God redeeming creation through covenant. Through relationship. Through promise.
God keeps coming to His people — making promises, keeping promises, shaping a people through those promises.
And every covenant has a sign:
- The covenant with Abraham — marked by circumcision.
- The covenant with us in Christ — marked by baptism.
- The covenant with David — that there would always be a descendant of David on the throne.
And that’s where Psalm 122 points us:
The thrones of the house of David.
Fast-forward to the New Testament, and what do we see?
Jesus — born in Bethlehem, the city of David…
Jesus — from the tribe of Judah…
Jesus — called the “Lion of the tribe of Judah”…
Jesus — the heir of David’s throne…
Jesus is the fulfillment of the Davidic covenant.
The promise God made to David is kept in Christ.
But it’s not just the promise to David.
God keeps every one of His promises:
- The promise to Eve in Genesis 3 that one of her descendants would crush the serpent’s head.
- The promise in the Passover — that the blood of a spotless lamb would save the people from death.
- The promise to Abraham that through his descendants all nations would be blessed.
- The promise to Noah, to Moses, to the prophets.
Every one of those promises finds its “Yes” and “Amen” in Jesus.
And if God keeps those promises — promises made thousands of years ago — friends, He’ll keep the ones He’s made to you today.
Standing on the promises
One of my favorite old hymns says:
“Standing on the promises that cannot fail,
Listening every moment to the Spirit’s call;
Resting in my Savior as my all in all,
Standing on the promises of God.”
The promises of God cannot fail.
When He says He will never leave nor forsake you — He means it.
When He says He will forgive — He means it.
When He says there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus — He means it.
When He says His yoke is easy and His burden is light — He means it.
Psalm 121 reminds us:
“I lift up my eyes to the hills. Where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.”
Psalm 23 reminds us that even in the valley of the shadow of death, He is with us.
Isaiah 43 tells us the waters will not drown us, the fire will not consume us.
Psalm 139 says there is nowhere we can go where He is not already present.
God keeps His promises.
He always has.
He always will.
So today — as we close out our week — hold fast to those promises.
If you’re walking through darkness…
If you’re anxious…
If you’re uncertain…
If you feel like things are shaking around you…
Stand on His promises.
The God who kept His word to Abraham, to Moses, to David, to the prophets —
the God who fulfilled every promise in Jesus Christ —
is the same God who walks with you today.
Thanks for spending this week with me.
Have a great weekend, and I’ll look forward to being back with you on Monday as we continue our Advent readings.
Have a great day.
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