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Psalm 34

We may have the same problem with blessing the Lord at all times (verse 1) as we do when the apostle Paul tells us to “pray at all times” (Ephesians 6:18). Some have been dismayed at the thought of the exertion involved in constant intercessory prayer. Doesn’t a person have the right to a bit of sleep and the necessary duties of the body like rest and food? Of course, if we took Paul’s encouragement in this narrow sense then it would be a difficult thing to achieve. My feeling is that Paul was encouraging in us a continual mindfulness of God—recognizing and being grateful for the benefits that we receive at Christ’s hand, and committing, as we go through our days, the actions and events of life to God.

Similarly, when we “bless” the divine source of all things, we accord the honor and glory appropriate in a relationship between creation and Creator, child and heavenly Parent. It follows from this that sometimes we may not feel particularly joyful or peaceful when we are blessing God. We bless God through thick and thin; indeed the need for blessing God is probably more necessary in the “thick” times! If you are going through a time of hardship and suffering, it is the sign of the redeemed soul to still be seen turning your heart to God in praise and thanksgiving. Yes, it’s a paradox again; but apart from arguments about how our faith begins with a suffering Lord, there’s also the quite practical side of things. If we turn from our miseries and look toward God, we shall receive the grace of Christ’s comfort, which goes beyond merely human understanding.

This is what parts of this week’s psalm are about. In a way, the opening verses show where the writer’s faithfulness under suffering has brought him—to blessing. However, later in the psalm we get a bit of the narrative: “This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him, / and saved him out of all his troubles” (verse 6).

It was obviously a time for the writer bedeviled by uncertainty and spiraling fears (verse 4). This, of course, is a familiar experience to any human being whether living in the Bronze Age or in the twenty-first century. Anxiety (and its more permanent form, stress) is one of the greatest challenges that the practical Christian disciple must face. You know how it goes: the “what ifs,” the endless repetitions in the mind of scenarios full of hurt and embarrassment that might never happen, the sleepless nights, and the physical signs of an unhappy soul in an unhappy body. The psalmist’s answer to this is for us to remember that the “angel of the LORD encamps / around those who fear him, and delivers them” (verse 7). I really like the use of that word encamps. The angel of the Lord doesn’t just come when there’s an emergency like the rescue squad. The angel sets up a defensive position around us with the intention of fighting with and for us against all adversities! What it boils down to is, how much do we trust the goodness of God? Don’t we believe, especially after what Christ has taught us, that we are infinitely precious to him? Do we think that even though it is Christ who has called us out onto the stormy waters of life that he will, at the last moment, cease to care and let us sink (Matthew 14:28-33)? Stop worrying and believe in the goodness of God!

This psalm, as is quite often the case, has two movements. We have already had an insight into the private narrative of the psalmist, what challenges he has faced and overcome. Springing from the experience of God’s mercy (which is the significance of the “taste and see that the LORD is good!” in verse 8), we hear a new voice in verse 11 onward. It is the voice of a teacher reminiscent of the tone of Proverbs. His opening question to his “sons” is, as they say, a “no-brainer.” Of course we desire life and wish to enjoy what happens in it! Well, there follows effectively an Old Testament anticipation of the gospel: the avoidance of evil and deceit, the doing of good, and peace sought in all things. Only Christ, at his coming, would give personality and substance to the pursuit of these divine virtues. He would become our peace (Ephesians 2:14) and the “good” that is within our grasp because of God’s forgiveness and grace.

For Reflection

Will you try to bless God through all the events of this week?

Prayer

Loving Lord, for you I step out on the angry waves. Help me trust your love and let go of worries that cramp my life. Amen.