Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be shaken but endures forever. As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds his people both now and forevermore. The scepter of the wicked will not remain over the land allotted to the righteous, for then the righteous might use their hands to do evil. Lord, do good to those who are good, to those who are upright in heart. But those who turn to crooked ways the Lord will banish with the evildoers. Peace be on Israel.
—Psalms 125:1-5

All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth. People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.
—Hebrews 11:13-16

~~~~~

Like Zion
By Jennifer Kane

Zion was never just a hill—
it was a heartbeat,
a breath held in the chest of eternity,
where heaven brushed earth
and God walked among His own.

The stones remembered the songs—
not just the ones sung with lyres and drums,
but the silent ones,
the prayers whispered in faith
when no harvest came,
when kings fell,
when the only sound was wind
weaving through broken gates.

Yet the people still climbed.
Not for spectacle,
but for presence—
for a glimpse of the Holy
who had chosen to dwell
not in might,
but in mercy.

The vineyards clinging to her sides
were like the faithful—
rooted deep,
stretching toward light,
yielding fruit in season
even when the sky was bronze.

This is the Kingdom.
Not brick, not boundary.
It is a people—
chosen,
shaped,
set apart.

A people who gather like rain
on parched ground,
who carry the fire in their bones,
whose songs do not die
when the temple falls,
but rise again
because the King
has made His dwelling
within them.

Zion is not gone.
She walks now
in every disciple
who carries the name of Christ—
a living mountain,
unshaken,
eternal.

~~~~~

Scripture: Psalm 125:1-5, Hebrews 11:13-16

The people of God have always been on the move.

From Eden to Egypt, through deserts and exile, God’s people have wandered lands not their own. Abraham left his homeland without knowing where he was going. The Israelites sojourned through wilderness and war. The early church scattered under persecution. And even today, believers often find themselves feeling like strangers in their own culture, longing for something more.

Yet amid this movement, Psalm 125 offers a paradoxical promise: “Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved.” How can people constantly in motion be called unmovable?

Mount Zion was more than a place—it was a picture of God’s unchanging faithfulness and enduring protection. It represented the presence of God, the place of covenant, and the promise of peace. Pilgrims journeyed to Jerusalem singing Psalm 125, reminding themselves that though their bodies were on the move, their trust anchored them in something eternal.

Hebrews 11 helps us see the bigger picture. The faithful before us were “strangers and exiles,” not because they had no home, but because they longed for a better one—a heavenly country prepared by God. That hope made them unshakable. They didn’t cling to the kingdoms of this world, but to the one city that will never fall: the Kingdom of God.

As believers today, we too are pilgrims. Our jobs, relationships, and circumstances may shift like sand. We may lose status, face trials, or feel increasingly out of place. But our hope is not in what we can see—it’s in the God who surrounds His people like the mountains surround Jerusalem.

To trust in the Lord is to belong to a kingdom that cannot be shaken. It is to know that even when we are far from home, we are already citizens of the city God is building—a city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.

What “moves” have you experienced—physically, emotionally, or spiritually?
How can you live today with your hope anchored in the eternal city?

~~~~~

Heavenly Father, make me like Mount Zion—steady, grounded, and full of trust in You. Though I walk through valleys and climb hills, though the world shifts around me, anchor me in Your promises. Let my heart be fixed on the heavenly city You are preparing. Teach me to live as a pilgrim with purpose, and as a citizen of Your unshakable kingdom. In your name, Jesus I pray, Amen.

May 5 2025