Skip to main content

Daily Devotion: Psalm 34:1-4

By

 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."

Labels:

Popular posts from this blog

Daily Devotion: Enter With Thanksgiving - Psalm 100:1-5

By
One of the most beautiful Psalms of Thanksgiving is the 100th Psalm. Please turn to it and read verses one through five. With all my heart I believe we are a people and a nation that has truly been blessed by God. Of all those who “give thanks to Him and praise His name” we should be at the top!  It is not uncommon to compile wish lists at Christmas, and draw up a list of resolutions for the new year. But there is another list we often overlook - a Thanksgiving Day list of all for which we are thankful. What would your list contain? Most likely, a good part would be material possessions. I’m convinced that we would find that we have much more for which to be thankful than just our material possessions.  Like you, I’m sure my list would include the major things - life, health, family, friends, and the nation we live in, despite all its flaws. But even more than that, I’m thankful for my salvation, my Church family, and the mercy that God showers upon us each d...
Read more

Daily Devotion: Psalm 100:4-5 - Thanksgiving

By
Psalm 100:4-5     "Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.  (5)  For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations." Many songs have been written about these verses and with these words included. What do they mean? Today, we celebrate the holiday of Thanksgiving. I've listened to many people speak about their family traditions and most of them include family, food, and football. These are wonderful and fun things that enrich the day, but is it the true meaning that was intended when the day was established?  The Psalmist instructed us to include a special action with our words of thankfulness.  We are to "enter into HIS gates." The heartfelt words of thanksgiving allow us to enter the gates of the Lord, but there is a much deeper place into which we can go. Not only are we to enter into HIS gates, but He invites us to come much closer to H...
Read more

Daily Devotion: Colossians 1:25-26

By
Colossians 1:25-26    “Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God;  Even   the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints:” In verse twenty-four, Paul has expressed his joy in bearing hardship for the church. It is of this church, the body of Jesus Christ, that he is made a minister. Since Paul used the phrase “made a minister” in verse twenty-three of this same chapter, it seems there is something important that he wishes to convey. The Greek word translated as “made” means “to cause to be.” It was the will of God (Col 1:1) that caused Paul to become a minister. God is always the cause of true ministry. Although our fathers may be ministers, if we become true ministers of the gospel it is  not  because our fathers are ministers. True ministers of the gospel do not take that path because they seek honor for themselves, or b...
Read more