Slices
Prepare
Sometimes praising God is a matter of gritty obedience. Whether you feel like it or not, spend some time extolling and exalting his name (vs 1,3).
Bible passage
Of David. When he pretended to be insane before Abimelek, who drove him away, and he left.
1 I will extol the Lord at all times;
his praise will always be on my lips.
2 I will glory in the Lord;
let the afflicted hear and rejoice.
3 Glorify the Lord with me:
let us exalt his name together.
4 I sought the Lord, and he answered me;
he delivered me from all my fears.
5 Those who look to him are radiant;
their faces are never covered with shame.
6 This poor man called, and the Lord heard him;
he saved him out of all his troubles.
7 The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him,
and he delivers them.
8 Taste and see that the Lord is good;
blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.
9 Fear the Lord, you his holy people,
for those who fear him lack nothing.
10 The lions may grow weak and hungry,
but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.
11 Come, my children, listen to me;
I will teach you the fear of the Lord.
12 Whoever of you loves life
and desires to see many good days,
13 keep your tongue from evil
and your lips from telling lies.
14 Turn from evil and do good;
seek peace and pursue it.
15 The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,
and his ears are attentive to their cry;
16 but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil,
to blot out their name from the earth.
17 The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them;
he delivers them from all their troubles.
18 The Lord is close to the broken-hearted
and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
19 The righteous person may have many troubles,
but the Lord delivers him from them all;
20 he protects all his bones,
not one of them will be broken.
21 Evil will slay the wicked;
the foes of the righteous will be condemned.
22 The Lord will rescue his servants;
no one who takes refuge in him will be condemned.
Explore
If we were to approach this psalm like a contract, specifying what we, as a ‘righteous person’, could expect from God (v 9), we might want to sue. Those who fear the Lord often lack the basic necessities, dying of starvation alongside their atheist compatriots in a famine, for example. Christians break bones, suffer from terrible depression and die young. We must have theology that stands up to reality or we will grow bitter and disillusioned with God.
One way to ensure robust theology is to read scripture appropriately for its genre. The Bible includes history, prophecy, law and more. Psalms are prayers not contracts. They take the height, depth and breadth of human experience and express them to God as raw and unvarnished heart-cries.
Psalm 34 helps us renew our determination to ‘give thanks in all circumstances’ (1 Thessalonians 5:18). It allows us to acknowledge that life can be tough. And alongside the subjective interpretation of circumstance, there is the revealed truth of God’s character: the Lord is close; the Lord is attentive; the Lord is good. We can ‘taste and see’ (v 8) and experience for ourselves the blessing David speaks of when we take refuge in him.
Respond
Choose a couple of the verses of Psalm 34 to memorise. Use them in your prayers over the next few days.
Bible in a year
Read the Bible in a year: Judges 7,8; Mark 2
Pray for Scripture Union
Pray for the staff in our Mission Events team, as they prepare for a busy time approving volunteer applications for the mission and holiday season. Last year there were over 1,200 volunteers to see through the crucial task of DBS clearance and secure reference checks.
