1 Great is the LORD and greatly to be praised in the city of our God!
His holy mountain, 2 beautiful in elevation, is the joy of all the earth, Mount Zion, in the far north, the city of the great King.
3 Within her citadels God has made himself known as a fortress.
As seen in previous entries, we are now God's dwelling place. So, in a sense, we are also "the city of God." "We" being the collective Church. Now, obviously, the psalmist is referring to Jerusalem, the physical "city of God." But this could also mean any place where God dwells, and he dwells in us. He has shown himself to be our fortress, according to verse 3. Once again, I am reminded of how often God is spoken of as a structure of protection. Fortress. Strong tower. Hiding place. Over and over in the Psalms. This should bring us great comfort.
Here is what Don Wyrtzen says in A Musician Looks At the Psalms: "What is here for me to learn today? First, that the best place for me is where God is. I will discover my identity, security, and stability in Him. Second, the source of personal blessing is God Himself. I must allow Him to become the hub, the center, the fulcrum of my life, just as Jerusalem is the spiritual crossroads of all nations on earth."
How true it is: "the best place for me is where God is." How simple, yet how profound.
A couple of days ago, I included a somewhat lengthy section about the "table of showbread" in the tabernacle. This table held what was called the "bread of the Presence." This was also called the "bread of God." Jesus is now saying that he is that bread! He is the fulfillment of the bread of the Presence. From Tabletalk Magazine, "Christ is far better than the former bread, for anyone, priest or not, can dine on Him by faith; that is, all who are willing may trust in Him alone for eternal sustenance and receive life that can never be taken away."
You are our fortress, our strong tower, our rock of salvation. Keep us hiding in you. I pray that the Holy Spirit will be our encourager when we try to stray away from your presence. Let me never walk out from under your protection.
Lord, I pray for our dear friend LaRue, that you would heal the cancer in her body. I thank you for the joy that she expressed in you this past Sunday. It truly lifted my soul.
I thank you that Stephanie continues to do well. She is even talking about wanting to go back to a class schedule. I also pray for her and all the other students who will be subjected to the state-mandated legalized torture that is also known as TAKS tests next week. I pray that someday, there will be legislators in office that will come to their senses and realize that these tests are pointless.
Grace and peace, friends.