Anything Considered

I read through a few of the Psalms today, and to be honest, I felt somewhat bored. There seemed to be so many of the "Praise God", "The Lord is beautiful" types that didn't feature much else. They were much like those praise & worship songs that go on and on in repetitive loops without particularly meaningful verses. I have never really enjoyed them.

But I might have been missing the point altogether. If I cannot relate to the songs, then somehow, my focus is in the wrong direction. Everything, and yes I mean everything, should begin, proceed, and end with God as the central focus. God, and not what God gives. God, as He is.

Other possibilities are opened for us when God is the central focus. Struggles in life? I know I haven't had much success trying to make things right. But in God's city, we become immutable. And not because of anything about ourselves, but because of where we are and who we belong to.

God is in her citadels;
he has shown himself to be her fortress.

When the kings joined forces,
when they advanced together,

They saw her and were astounded;
they fled in terror.

PSALM 48:4-6 (NIV)

I try to make it a point to count my blessings when I have trouble in life. And it certainly does help. But the writer of the Psalm sees this in a completely different perspective.

Walk about Zion, go around her,
count her towers,

Consider well her ramparts,
view her citadels,
that you may tell of them to the next generation.

For this God is our God for ever and ever;
he will be our guide even to the end.

PSALM 48:12-14 (NIV)

In a sense, GOD is the blessing. And if I can finally see Him in that light, the counting will stop, and the praise will begin.