Psalm 34:1-10[NLT]
1 I will praise the Lord at all times.
I will constantly speak his praises.
2 I will boast only in the Lord;
let all who are helpless take heart.
3 Come, let us tell of the Lord’s greatness;
let us exalt his name together.
4 I prayed to the Lord, and he answered me.
He freed me from all my fears.
5 Those who look to him for help will be radiant with joy;
no shadow of shame will darken their faces.
6 In my desperation I prayed, and the Lord listened;
he saved me from all my troubles.
7 For the angel of the Lord is a guard;
he surrounds and defends all who fear him.
8 Taste and see that the Lord is good.
Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him!
9 Fear the Lord, you his godly people,
for those who fear him will have all they need.
10 Even strong young lions sometimes go hungry,
but those who trust in the Lord will lack no good thing.
My reflections:
Father,
As I read this psalm this morning and I’m ashamed of the many times I turn to lesser things to satisfy a heart that can only find satisfaction, comfort, security, and fulfillment in you.
Holy Spirit teach me to praise the Lord at all times.
Holy Spirit teach me to trust the Lord who wants to free me from all my fears
Holy Spirit created in me a hunger to taste and see that the Lord is good.
Jesus, I’m thinking of friends that have had funerals for loved ones this past week.
Allow these verses to ring true for them.
Don’t let the devil deceive them
For at times like this if we don’t have you, we have nothing.
Be the truth we cling to in troubled waters.
From Songs of Jesus, Tim Keller
BOASTING IN THE LORD. How can we be delivered from all our fears (verse 4)? The answer is comprehensive. Build an identity that gets its significance (“glory”)—makes its “boast” (Jeremiah 9:23–24)—not from your accomplishments or racial identity or talent or moral efforts or family but from God (verse 2). Then and only then is the foundation of your self-worth secure and not subject to fears or shame (verse 5). How can we get such an identity? By not just believing in God but “tasting” and experiencing God’s goodness in prayer (verse 8). And by comforting afflicted people with the comfort we have received (verse 2; 2 Corinthians 1:3–4) until they can glorify God with us (verse 3). This is the mission of every believer.
Prayer: Lord, my anxieties, shame, and discouragement come when I try to make my boast in other things than your goodness and unfailing love toward me. Teach me how to look to you and seek you until I know the radiance of your joy. Amen.
