In the middle of David’s dangerous encounter with the Philistine King Abimelech, he shows us how he blessed (vv. 1-3), sought (vv. 4-8), feared (vv. 9-14), cried out to (vv. 15-18), and sought refuge in the Lord (vv. 19-22).  Basically, in the middle of a war, David shows us his greatest weapon was worship.  Think about David’s situation for a moment.  In a break from the battle, David knew to turn to the Lord in worship.  In verses 1-3 we see words of David’s worshipful actions of the pursuit of the Lord.  He blessed, praised, rejoiced, glorified, and exalted the Lord.  That’s exactly what we need to do in the middle of the battles we face.

Psalm 34 reminds us that the Lord answers our prayers (vv. 4, 15), protects us from evil (v. 7, 20), provides for our needs (vv. 9-10), delivers us from trouble (v. 17), is close to our broken hearts (v. 18), and redeems his servants (v. 22).  Our response to the Lord should be the praise we see in verses 1-3, but also the purity we see in verses 11-14.  We should fear the Lord (v. 11), love and desire His way of life (v. 12), keep our tongue and lips from evil and lies (v. 13), turn from evil (v. 14a), do good (v. 14b), and seek peace (v. 14c).  Living holy lifestyles is also worship and needed as much as praising, rejoicing, and exalting God in the moment. 

Blessing the Lord may be where we start as He helps us in a certain time of trouble (vv. 1-3).  This should lead us to seek more of the Lord (vv. 4-8).  This should also teach us to have a holy fear and reverence for the Lord (vv. 9-14).  This will make us more dependent upon the Lord so we can cry out to Him in every distress (vv. 15-18).  The end result is a relationship with the Lord Who redeems us as we take refuge and trust in Him (vv. 19-22). 

Questions:

1. Are you always blessing the Lord with your lips and your lifestyle?
2. As you tase of the Lord and see his goodness (v. 8), is He becoming more and more of a refuge for you?
3. What brokenness have you not turned over to the Lord? 

Prayer:

Lord, thank you for your protection, deliverance, redemption, and refuge.  I choose to trust in You and fear Your holy name.  Help me to cry out to you and surrender all my brokenness to You my deliverer, protector, and redeemer.  In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

Categories: Uncategorized

stephenrharrison

Stephen and his wife Haley have called Arkansas home all of their lives. Stephen has served in several ministry roles over the last 25 years and as a lead pastor for the last 8 years. Stephen attended Williams Baptist College and earned a BA in Biblical Studies from Ouachita Baptist University, an MA, MDiv, and DMin in Christian Leadership and Pastoral Ministries from Liberty University. When not pastoring, Stephen enjoys running, cycling, reading, writing, camping, fishing, and spending time with his family.