PASSAGE FOR THE DAY:
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 brokenhearted
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. (Psalm 34, NIV)
REFLECTIONS:
I'd like to do things a little bit different today. Rather
than simply reading through a "normal" devotional, I'd like for us to personally
meditate on the various parts of this psalm in an effort to make it real to our
lives, right here and right now.
I think it's important to remember that David wrote this
psalm when he was enduring savage attacks on his character and all kinds of
uncertainties regarding his livelihood. The prologue tells us that this psalm
was written around the time that he "pretended to be insane." The
story is told in 1 Samuel 21. As David was running from Saul, he sought help
from Abimelek the priest, who fed him some consecrated bread. He then fled to
Gath, a Philistine city in an effort to seek refuge. While there, David feared
for his life and pretended to be insane before Achish, king of Gath. After
reading this story, you can definitely understand why David would write some of
the things he did in this psalm.
Psalm 34 reflects David's heart in the years when he was
waiting to become the king of Israel, the years when he was forced to
constantly rely upon the Lord for protection, provision, and deliverance. These
were the years of David's life when he was constantly facing dangerous
circumstances and difficult people of various sorts.
Today, we'll meditate on Psalm 34 in an effort to expand our
heart toward God. I'd like to encourage you to slowly read through Psalm 34 a
couple of times. Then, use some of the following ideas to offer your response for your
life.
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.
David begins with praise and adoration. Write down some
words of praise and adoration for God. Who is he to you?
How many great qualities of God can you list that you have personally
experienced?
Offer your prayer of praise right now.
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.
We believe God answers prayers, as David declared, even in
the rather turbulent circumstances surrounding the time he wrote this psalm.
If you were writing a psalm regarding God's answered
prayers for your life, what would you write?
Write down any current areas of need. How would you like God to answer your prayers? Be specific in your requests.
How does verse 7 help you in your prayer requests?
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.
We are encouraged to "taste and see that the Lord is
good" (verse 8). How have you "tasted" of the Lord's goodness in
your life?
David speaks of those who love life and desire to see many
good days (verse 12). What do you desire and love in life? Write it out and
pray that God will bless it, as he says in verse 8.
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 brokenhearted
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.
"The LORD" is used repeatedly in this section.
What promises can you claim from "the LORD"? How does that touch your
heart for him?
As you began in praise, close this time of worship with more
words of adoration.
I am Tres Sansom, and I'm excited about going Trick or
Treating tonight with our little ninja and butterfly princes.
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