“Praise the LORD. I will extol the LORD with all my heart in the council of the upright and in the assembly.” Psalm 111:1

Having planned my day and exited my house, I heard a familiar DING! Like Pavlov’s dog, I am conditioned to respond to my cell phone, and that DING meant an important reminder was waiting. Before I even STARTED my busy day, my calendar ‘app’ reminded me of an appointment I have made…MONTHS ago. It was for that afternoon! DING!!!!! SURPRISE!!!

I actually have 2 ‘apps’ on my phone that dictate my activities. Along with my calendar I also have a ‘to-do’ list that I create and update as I check them off. I could say that my cell phone is like my very own personal secretary (gee… I never thought I’d HAVE one of those)! But I do!As I gave it some thought, I noted that both of those apps are 100% subject to a single authority… ME! I set it up…I make the entries…I follow them. Which makes ME own boss! In essence… I do what I tell me to do!

This morning, in my daily personal time with God, I found myself counting my blessings. It was no accident that I stumbled onto Psalm 111:1. I hadn’t PLANNED on it. But, the way the Christian Life goes, HE had! So I followed. I noted that the FIRST sentence is a command from Almighty God, who is #1 in my life, to ME…#2. “PRAISE ME!“ It is NOT a request! The second sentence then becomes MY response to the first! “I WILL!” My reaction was a smile!

Life is FULL of choices… do’s vs don’ts and will’s vs won’ts! Can’s vs can’ts and shall’s vs shant’s! At each street corner, I make the DECISION as to which way I will turn and move. I have often found that, even though I CHOOSE my direction, I STILL can get lost. And lost often means finding myself in a tangled mess of frustration, sadness and despair. All of which are MY own fault! Enter God!

God doesn’t MAKE mistakes. EVER. He knows it too! That is why He can confidently say…”PRAISE ME!” It isn’t some cocky demand from an egocentric tyrant. He LOVES me and wants the BEST for me. He KNOWS that way. And when I put Him first, everything else just turns to blessing. Even through storms.

Since Christmas and New years fell on a Wednesday this year, we didn’t get together at church for 3 weeks. Last night, we did. It was at that ‘Assembly’ that I discovered the answer to a pondering question. ‘How long does it take to establish a new pattern?’ Since attendance was about half… the answer might be 3!

If you find yourself too busy with too much to do… frustrated… at your wits end, may I recommend Psalm 111:1? It’s easy to remember since it’s ALL 1’s! The first three for the Trinity…111, and the last 1 for lil ol’ YOU. And if God is your number one and you find yourself lost… you MAY want to switch places, start praising and read on as you count His blessings! They’re listed right there!