Cows in the Pasture!

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:
    “May those who love you be secure.
 May there be peace within your walls
    and security within your citadels.”
Psalm 122:6-7

“They’re back! I see four cows and a calf from the neighbor’s west pasture! I can’t tell where they came through!” yelled my husband. We donned our boots and gloves to search the fence line. Sure enough, broken wires and a rotten fence post solved the mystery. Time for repairs. 

In Texas, we say, “Good fences make good neighbors.” The Israelites would have said, “Good walls make good neighbors.”

King David composed a song of ascents for pilgrims walking the steep road up from Jericho to Jerusalem. In this psalm, David focused on a prayer for peace within the walls of Jerusalem and security within its protective towers.

Multiple times the walls were destroyed and rebuilt—symbolic of God’s judgement and restoration. I, too, have walls to repair, walls to build, and walls to guard. As a fence for pastures, and a wall for Jerusalem, I need boundaries for relationships. Boundaries help me define and protect who I am. They protect others from me and me from others. The Holy Spirit provides discernment and grace for guiding me as a wife, a parent, a grandparent and a friend in charting healthy boundaries for relationships with others. 

I also desire peace within the walls of my family and safety from anything that might threaten it from within or without. Through the years, I’ve discovered that confidence in God’s sovereignty and faithfulness provides the only lasting source of peace and security. I’ve learned to never take it for granted but to consistently lean into it through prayer and God’s Word. And, when necessary, repair the broken fence.

Linda Les