When you cry out to God for help — with the right motives — sincerely — He hears your plea. He sees everything! He promises that everyone who takes refuge in HIM, will NOT be condemned! God keeps His promises! God helps and protects His people when they call Him. Let’s dig in…
Psalm 34
A psalm of David, regarding the time he pretended to be insane in front of Abimelech, who sent him away.
When did that happen? Back when King Saul was trying to kill David, He took refuge at the enemy’s camp — the Philistine city of Gath. That didn’t turn out as David hoped, so he pretended to be crazy. He did manage to narrowly escape. You can read that story in 1 Samuel 21 and 22. Onward…
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.11 Come, my children, and listen to me,
and I will teach you to fear the Lord.
12 Does anyone want to live a life
that is long and prosperous?
13 Then keep your tongue from speaking evil
and your lips from telling lies!
14 Turn away from evil and do good.
Search for peace, and work to maintain it.15 The eyes of the Lord watch over those who do right;
his ears are open to their cries for help.
16 But the Lord turns his face against those who do evil;
he will erase their memory from the earth.
17 The Lord hears his people when they call to him for help.
He rescues them from all their troubles.
18 The Lord is close to the brokenhearted;
he rescues those whose spirits are crushed.19 The righteous person faces many troubles,
but the Lord comes to the rescue each time.
20 For the Lord protects the bones of the righteous;
not one of them is broken!21 Calamity will surely destroy the wicked,
Psalm 34 NLT
and those who hate the righteous will be punished.
22 But the Lord will redeem those who serve him.
No one who takes refuge in him will be condemned.
Points to Ponder
David first praises God. We are to only extol HIM. Not Mary, not a pope, and not a church. In verse 3, he invites the reader to glorify the Lord along with him and exalt His name together. We do this whenever we pray the Lord’s prayer…
Our Father in heaven,
Matthew 6:9-10 NIV
hallowed be your name,
10 your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Notice it’s HIS Kingdom Come and HIS will be done on earth as it is in Heaven. Again, not Mary’s not a Pope’s nor a church’s.
Then David tells how God helped him. Notice that he sought the Lord and He answered Him. Whether you’re afraid or in dire straits, He delivers us.
I love verse 8: Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him. It reminds me of an old kids’ cereal commercial where one kid says to another, “Try it! You’ll like it!”
David tells us to “fear the Lord”. That means to respect Him. To be in awe of Him. Learn more here.
In verses 12-14, David give us some great advice:
12 Whoever of you loves life
Psalm 34:12-14 NIV
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.
Last night, in my Bible study through the Book of Proverbs, I heard a truth that put everything into perspective:
Every lie is rooted in idolatry. I lie because there is something more important to me than the honor, the will & the plan of God.
Paul David Tripp
Verse 15 tells us that “The eyes of the Lord watch over those who do right”. That means the righteous — not the perfect, not the saint, not the religious, and not the sinless. It means being right with God. Continuing…
17 The Lord hears his people when they call to him for help.
Psalm 34:17-18 NLT
He rescues them from all their troubles.
18 The Lord is close to the brokenhearted;
he rescues those whose spirits are crushed.
This is similar to Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount — the Beatitudes
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
7 Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
Matthew 5:3-12 NIV
Then David reminds us that bad stuff happens to good people. However, the Lord protects the bones of the righteous. John quotes this in his Gospel story (John 19:36) because not one of Jesus’ bones were broken on the cross.
Jesus also said…
33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
John 16:33 NIV
The last 2 verses are important…
21 Calamity will surely destroy the wicked,
Psalm 34:21-22 NLT
and those who hate the righteous will be punished.
22 But the Lord will redeem those who serve him.
No one who takes refuge in him will be condemned.
The wicked will get their punishment in due course. Nevertheless, if you trust in Jesus completely, you will not be condemned!
God will help us if we’re fully committed to Him…
9 The eyes of the Lord search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.
2 Chronicles 16:9 NLT
Fully Committed!
That means 100%. Not half to Jesus and half to Mary. Not 80% to a church and 20% to Jesus. NO! 100%. Are you?
How to Pray Psalm 34
God loves it when you pray His words back to him. Take a piece of paper or write in an journal this psalm in your own words. Here’s my version…
I will praise the Lord at all times. I will constantly speak his praises. I will boast only in the Lord. Thank you, Lord for answering my prayers and freeing me from all my fears. I was desperate, I prayed and You listened. I am radiant with joy! I tasted and saw that You are good. I take refuge in you, I trust you completely, my protector and provider. You watch over me day and night and rescue me from my troubles. I trust that the wicked, the unbelievers, the mockers, the liars, the prideful, the evil people and those who hate the righteous will be punished in Your final judgment. Thank you for redeeming me and saving me from that judgment. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Paraphrase on Psalm 34 by Giselle Aguiar
Are YOU fully committed to Jesus?
If you’re not sure if you’re saved or not, if you truly want to be born again and have the assurance of salvation, receive the Holy Spirit, feel His Shalom — a peace that surpasses all understanding, and get a 1-way, non-stop ticket to Heaven after you die, or that you won’t be left behind at the Rapture, which can happen at any moment, this is what you have to do…
Believe. Repent. Be Baptized. Receive the Holy Spirit.
- Believe — have Faith — that Jesus is the Christ and He died taking your sins away forever and that He rose from the dead 3 days later.
- Repent of your sins — stop sinning! Do a complete 180-degree turn in your life and surrender your life to Him. When you ask Jesus to forgive you He will. ALL your sins will be wiped clean — past, present, and future! And All means ALL!
- Be Baptized by water baptism — show the world and yourself that you have died to your old life and are born again in Christ.
- Receive the gift of Holy Spirit in your heart.
