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Daily Devotion: Psalm 34:1-4

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 A Psalm of David, when he changed his behaviour before Abimelech; who drove him away, and he departed.

Psalm 34:1-4    "I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth.  (2)  My soul shall make her boast in the LORD: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad.  (3)  O 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."

This Psalm was written about a time when David found himself in "no man's land".  Saul, out of jealousy, was seeking to kill David. David had fled from Israel and found himself in the land of Gath. He came to Achish, the king of Gath, trying to find help. One of the king's men recognized David as being the one who slew their champion, Goliath.  The king knew that David was fleeing from Saul and made mention of it. It was at that time that David changed his behaviour and acted as though he was a mad man. At that time, the king commanded that David be sent away. He wanted nothing to do with him.

Have you ever had an instance when you found yourself saying words that you wondered where they came from?  I'm talking about giving words of wisdom to someone who has looked to you for advice.  You found yourself with words coming out of your mouth, or an action that was unplanned, where you were able to give comfort or help in a situation that seemed helpless.  After saying that, I am not trying to explain David's actions when he pretended to be a rabid man; yet, he understood that to some degree the Lord had impressed upon him and was delivered. As David looked back on that moment, he began to praise the Lord.

"I sought the LORD, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears."  David acknowledged that this action was used to deliver him from the hand of the king of Gath who seemingly was about to turn David back to Saul.  There can be no doubt that David was saying to us, "As I stood before the king of Gath, I began to pour my heart out unto the Lord. I prayed that he would help me in that situation and HE HEARD MY CRY."  Thank you David for sharing this thought with us. Thank you for sharing your experience. Thank you that as we read your words, the Holy Spirit makes them to be our own cry for help.  We seek you Lord and need you in ways that we cannot even express. But you, O Lord, know our needs."

"O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together." David shared with us his understanding of the situation. He is encouraging us to join with him in celebrating the grace of God in our lives.  Yes, David, we magnify the Lord with you. We join with you this morning to say, there is no other like our God.  Thank you Father for inspiring David to write these words. Thank you Lord that this morning, you direct our thoughts to this particular verse. I end my thoughts today with the verse of Scripture that I have heard my wife, Judy, express to our children for many years. "I sought the LORD, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears."

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