Count, Note, Tour, and Share

Psalm 48:12-14

Go around Zion, encircle it;
count its towers, note its ramparts;
tour its citadels so that you can tell a future generation:
"This God, our God forever and ever- He will always lead us."


All of us have probably seen a movie, tv show, or commercial that contains a scene in which someone in sitting in a car with their eyes pointed upwards towards the tall buildings around them. During this scene there is typically some form of instrumental music playing while the city passes by and the scene fades in and out of focus. This is the picture I see when I read this verse. But this is not the full concept that is presented in Psalm 48. The commands in this song are not just to tour the city. Instead there are instructions to count, note, observe (an obvious part of touring), and then to share. This hopeful form of observation of the world around us that leads to a sharing of hope in God is both comforting and convicting. I see a way in which one can see the world around us and be convicted into having their eyes opened to God's leading. But I can also see a way in which one should be convicted by the ruin of a city. How might one mourn the broken towers, the crumbled citadels? How can you look at a desolate place and still say that God will always lead us? There is a place where we should be convicted by our own lack of effort towards restoration. But even in this conviction there is hope. The last statement in this Psalm shows a God who is past, present, and future. The phrase "this God" shows God in the present. The phrasing of "forever and ever" shows the reaching existence of God that has always been and will always be. But there is also a nearness to God expressed in this song. God is "this" God, "our" God. All of these aspects, from the picture of touring around a city to the foundational statements about God and our relationship to Him, are the reason why I chose to title this blog Touring Citadels. The hope that is presented as well as our participation in observing and noting and then sharing are all things that resonate deep within me. I want to be a person that counts towers, notes ramparts, tours the citadels for the reason of being able to tell coming generation that God is our God, He is forever, and He will always lead us.