I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul will make its boast in the Lord; The humble will hear it and rejoice. O magnify the Lord with me, And let us exalt His name together. I sought the Lord, and He answered me, And delivered me from all my fears. (Psalm 34:1-4, NASB)
Psalm 34 has become one of my favorites among the Psalms. The reason is the song below (Is that backwards? Does it matter?) Two of my Air Force Academy classmates, Joe Shirey and Roy Mattson, sent me the link to the song on separate occasions. It was already in my mix of YouTube songs, but I appreciate my classmates’ sharing it with me. That means so much!
The title of this Psalm is “The Lord, a Provider and Deliverer.” David wrote this Psalm (one of many) as he was evading capture and execution at the hands of King Saul. There’s a lot more to the Psalm than these four verses. I recommend you read the whole thing (and listen to the song!).
David calls us to “praise the Lord at all times.” While sitting on my bed with my ALS, I ponder this a lot, and I take every opportunity I can to praise God. I praise Him when I wake up in the morning; when Sue comes in my room in the morning; when we talk to our kids on the phone; when I hear from friends or family via email or text message; when people visit. Sometimes I wish I could raise my hands in praise, but I’m unable. Praise the Lord anyway!
He is my Deliverer! I’ve found that trusting in God truly does deliver me from all my fears. I’m secure in my future because of the promises from my Deliverer. His mercies and blessings are new every day. Is He your Deliverer? Have you accepted God’s gift of Jesus?
Worship: “Psalm 34,” The Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir
I was watching this video of the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir one day with Joe Shirey. His comment: “I think this is what heaven will be like.” I concur! Praise the Lord!