- Prosper
Psalm 122:6
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:
They shall prosper that love thee.
This is a conditional promise: If you pray for the peace of the people of God and love the church then you will prosper. The interesting condition for prosperity is prayer for and love for the church. For New Testament believers in Christ Jerusalem is a metaphor for the Church, invisible in the hearts of believers but made visible when they gather in Jesus’ name. Jerusalem is the visible local people of God coming together in the name of Jesus around Word and Sacrament. (All of those gathered may not be true believers from the invisible church, but generally most of them will be.) Just as Jerusalem is a visible place where the people gather in the OT, so Jerusalem is fitting as a picture of the visible Church in the NT.
We do not always see the material prosperity of those who love the Church, but those who love the Church and pray for it will prosper mentally, emotionally, spiritually, relationally, and socially. God has blessed us with all His riches in glory in Christ Jesus. No one prospers more than the man or woman who enjoys the peace and joy of a blessed family and friends; and you will see this family in church often sharing the prosperity of the Gospel. They participate in the church, they pray for the church, they give to the church, and they love the church with its Lord and its people. Every local church will experience times of friction and turmoil, but this prosperous person will pray for the peace of the church; for he desires that the saving and blessing Gospel message he enjoys will be heard by many others.