Psalm 87

Where I grew up, the home was the center of my world. After all, I couldn't cross the busy streets a few blocks west, or two blocks south, or several blocks north, or just a bit to the east. Unless I went somewhere in a car, I was restrained to a few blocks, my home nearly in the middle of that region. Not that I had a problem with that; after all, most of my friends lived in the neighborhood, we had a candy store, a Burger King and a delicious doughnut shop all in that area. Thus, I was a happy kid. So when my friends and I would take off on our bikes, we would always know where home was. Or, at the very least, we knew which way to turn when we got to a busy road.

For ancient Israel, God's home was the center of the world. That chosen home was Mt. Zion in Jerusalem. Being close to that place was special to the ancient Israelites, creating a pining for home when they were carried away. This psalm has both a rooted centeredness about it as well as a driving move outward. Certainly, Zion is a special place. However, God is not only interested in the city of Zion- God is interested in the world. God's desire is that all the nations would look to and acknowledge God. Whether those nations be Philistia, Tyre, Spain, Saudi Arabia, China or the United States of America, God has an outward-focus from Zion to bless the world. Today, Paul says that we as followers of Jesus are the Temple of the Holy Spirit, so admittedly things are a little different now. However, the drive of God for the nations has not. May we be motivated further into mission by reading this Psalm.