PSALM 34

1 [A Psalm] of David when he pretended madness before Abimelech, who drove him away, and he departed. I will bless the LORD at all times; His praise [shall] continually [be] in my mouth. 2 My soul shall make its boast in the LORD; The humble shall hear [of it] and be glad. 3 Oh, magnify the LORD with me, And let us exalt His name together. 4 I sought the LORD, and He heard me, And delivered me from all my fears.

PSALM 34:1-4

I WILL BLESS THE LORD AT ALL TIMES

 We are told that David wrote this Psalm reflecting on some of the lowest days of his life. You can read the details in 1 Samuel 21. David is on the run from Saul. He stops by a place of worship. Grabs some food and is looking for a weapon. The only weapon they have on hand is Goliath's sword. So they give that to David. One of Saul's spies is there and he heads out to tell Saul so David is on the run again.

He ends up in the City of Gath… For those of you who don't know. This is the city Goliath was from and he is carrying Goliath's sword! Everyone knows that it is David who killed their beloved Goliath. Goliath's momma lives there, his cousins, etc…. This seems like it is the exact wrong place to be. David might be at an all time lowest situation of his life where he has to feign madness in order to escape with his life.

David says that he will bless the LORD at all Times. This is the highs and the lows. I love this psalm because it acknowledges the lows.

Even in his low, David finds joy in the LORD. He invites us into his joy. Have you ever experienced something and had to get someone else involved? Unexpected joy is that way!

Have you ever  been so blessed in Jesus that you have to share the blessing? When it comes to gardening, some of our church folks are really good and they remember us when the harvest comes in! They get a bunch of squash, tomatoes, peppers, or whatever and they call us up and say, "would you like some squash?" They give it to us to enjoy too, because they've got too much! When they share, it not only feeds them, but nourishes us as well.

David is saying, "I've got so much of the LORD's goodness, I need to share it with you." And His sharing blesses not only him, but us as well.

This is what I love about corporate singing. We get together and we all come from different backgrounds. God has taken us on different journeys, but he is the same faithful God.

  • Some come from addiction and he has helped you
  • Some come from pride and he has humbled you
  • Some come from tremendous hurt and you see his healing

It's not just a combination of different voices, but of different testimonies and different stories of God working so that when we sing great is thy faithfulness it's not just words, it's lives. It's the prodigal son come home, it's the salvation of a lost sinner, it's the comfort over the loss of a loved one.  Somehow when we gather together and we share in our joy with one another this mingles into praise. I love it when God's church gathers together to magnify the LORD together and sing his praise! Even when I'm in a low, I am still encouraged and find comfort and joy.

PRAYER

Father, Thank you for the incredible joy that you have blessed me with in ways big and small. Thank you for your kindness to me and uniting me with a people so loving and gracious. Thank you that there are days that I have more joy than I know what to do with and it just spills over into others lives. Thank you that others have let their joy spill into mine. You know me and you know what I need. You are worthy of all praise honor and glory. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

I'm reading and blogging the Psalms Through The Summer. I'd love for you to join me. You can find out a little more here.