Wow! I am so taken with Psalm 48 today. I think it has the secret of walking with God in it. The secret of the transformed life.
Meditating on the love of God is the part I think is the key to everything. That is where our wholeness is to be found. Only in His love. When we soak in, dwell in, abide in, meditate on, revel in His Love, we gain a new perspective. We live from a different place. The Kingdom of God feels more and more like home and the kingdom of self slithers away. The kingdom of self is so small and so fraught with trouble, why do we ever think that our own way will get us anywhere good anyway? But that is a whole different subject. When He comes into our lives He gives us a change of address and a whole new identity.
About this address, this psalm speaks of Zion, the City of God. The Bible is full of references to place, the City of God, Zion, the Kingdom of God. Jesus also spoke of abiding and dwelling in Him and when He left, told of going to prepare a place for us, in His Father's house. Place is what we can relate to. Place is where we do life. We are invited to this place of God's love and everything this magnificent love manifests.
So this Zion (the city of God) in Psalm 48. We are told to walk about her, consider well her ramparts, view her citadels. We are to be there and inspect thoroughly everything about her. The nooks and crannies of discovery are endless! God's Word continues forever in its revelation, its blessing. This is all a beautiful metaphor of what it is like to spend time in God's Word, and in prayer. This is how we learn from Him, how our lives are to be guided by His governance, His Kingdom rule, which is just and right. This is a psalm of protection and safety. And all by the power of His love.
This may seem esoteric but in the practical aspect of it, we are called to spend time with God. That is it. He is with us always so it isn't that hard. With Him is where we discover the endless depths, heights, width and length of His love for us, which never fails. Life can get really hard, but understanding this, changes everything.
Psalm 48:9-14
Within your temple, O God,
we meditate on your unfailing love.
Like your name, O God,
your praise reaches to the ends of the earth;
your right hand is filled with righteousness.
Mount Zion rejoices,
the villages of Judah are glad
because of your judgments.
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.
