Established by God (4)

Opening Prayer: Psalm 87.5
And of Zion it will be said,
“This one and that one were born in her;
And the Most High Himself shall establish her.”

Sing Psalm 87.4, 5
(St. Anne: Our God, Our Help in Ages Past)
From south and north, from east and west they come, called by His grace;

Thus Zion stands, full strong and blessed, before the Savior’s face.

Read Psalm 87.1-5

Preparation
1. How do the psalmists refer to God in verse 5?

2. What does God do for Zion?

Meditation
The psalmists refer to God as “the Most High”, and not without reason. Since God dwells in Zion, Zion itself is lifted up, chief among all other cities of the earth (Mic. 4.1-8), a city set on a hill whose light reaches to all the dark places of the world (Matt. 5.13-16; 1 Jn. 2.8).

All those who have come to that high and holy city have been drawn by the Most High Himself (Jn. 12.32) and set and established there by the Most High Himself (Col. 1.13, 14). They are born to permanence. They have not come to a physical mountain, one that can crumble and fall and be no more. They have come to the holy mountain of God, from all parts of the earth, and are now citizens and ambassadors in that great and glorious city (Heb. 12.18-24; 2 Cor. 5.20; Jn. 20.21).

They who are citizens of Zion are recognizable as such: “This one and that one were born in her…” We who have come, by grace through faith (Eph. 2.8, 9), to that high and holy city declare our citizenship by doing those works of obedient love which are the hallmark of all who dwell there (Eph. 2.10; Tit. 2.14). And when we have done them, we give glory and honor to Him Who has established us as His people and indwells us by His Spirit (Phil. 2.13).

Treasure Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162
Established as His people, in His city, we bear the characteristics of having been born there.
Physically and culturally, it is more than obvious that we hail from The City of God.
The way we look, what we wear, the foods we eat, the way we speak, all declare our place of rebirth.
It is who we are.

It is our “heavenly country” lived in here and now, and longed for there and then. It is the place where God is not ashamed to be called our God because He has prepared this city for us (Heb. 12.16; Jn. 14.1-4).

Here is what we think about: whatever things are true, noble, just, true, lovely, and of good report. We also only dwell on things that are virtuous and praiseworthy (Phil. 4.8).

This is what we wear: the armor of God. It consists of having our waist girded with truth; putting on the breastplate of righteousness; putting on shoes that carry us into the work of sharing the gospel of peace; donning the helmet of salvation; carrying the shield of faith and the sword of the Spirit (which is the word of God). After dressing, we begin praying. Always (Eph. 6.13-18).

Having filled our mind with thoughts of Him, and dressed to glorify Him and protect ourselves, we are now set to behave as His ambassadors. We are full of love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Gal. 5.22, 23).

As Eliza Doolittle sang in My Fair Lady, “Wouldn’t it be loverly?”

Reflection
1. What does it mean for you to be a citizen in the city of the Most High God?

2. How should your being a citizen and ambassador of that city affect the people in your Personal Mission Field?

3. What can you do to prepare each day to fulfill the calling of your ambassadorship?

Zion would become the place where more and more people from other nations would come to worship the living God. This is prophetic of the coming of the gospel of Jesus, the spread of that gospel, and the culmination of the gospel in the rule of the Savior King (Is. 2:1–4). Earl Radmacher (1931-2014), NKJV Study Bible Note on Psalm 87.5

Closing Prayer: Psalm 87.6, 7
Pray that today many will be born again into the city of the Lord by hearing and obeying the Good News of Jesus.

Sing Psalm 87.6, 7
(St. Anne: Our God, Our Help in Ages Past)
The Lord will count and tally all in Jesus born again.
Then let them sing, who on Him call, “We joy in God, Amen!”

T. M. and Susie Moore

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Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. For sources of all quotations, see the weekly PDF of this study. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter (Williston: Waxed Tablet Publications, 2006), available by clicking here.