David said, “The LORD loveth the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob” (Psalm 87:2). The word translated loveth, ’âhêb (aw – habe´) “is equivalent to the English ‘to love’ in the sense of having a strong emotional attachment to and desire either to possess or to be in the presence of the object” (157).

Zion is one of the hills on which Jerusalem stood. David captured it and called it the city of David after he conquered the Jebusites when he was made king of all Israel. Zion represented a significant victory for David and marked a turning point in his relationship with the LORD. After the city of David was established, there was a time when God’s promises were no longer being fulfilled, but were being enjoyed by David.

David no long had to believe in God’s faithfulness, he could see it. Sometimes when we are exercising our faith, we think that we know how God is going to work things out for us and therefore, that we understand his ways. When God does actually work things out, we see that the result is nothing at all like we expected. God is in the business of doing the impossible. We cannot even imagine what he is going to do because we always think in terms of what is possible.

The key to praying effectively is to realize that we do not know what God is doing. Although God has an individual plan for each of our lives, God has a master plan that encompasses every detail of every life throughout eternity. Answering our prayers is only a part of why God seeks to have a relationship with us. The real reason God develops our faith is so that he can use it to answer other people’s prayers.

David’s conquest of the Jebusites and occupation of Zion made it possible for a new covenant to be established. The covenant God made with Abraham was a stepping stone. The Israelites had to be dwelling in the Promised Land before a new covenant could be made in which a savior would be born that would take away the sins of the world. Once Zion was occupied, the Messiah’s birthplace was secured.