Of David, when he feigned madness before Abimelech, who drove him out and he went away.
I
I will bless the Lord at all times;
his praise shall be always in my mouth.
My soul will glory in the Lord;
let the poor hear and be glad.
Magnify the Lord with me;
and let us exalt his name together.
II
I sought the Lord, and he answered me,
delivered me from all my fears.
Look to him and be radiant,
and your faces may not blush for shame.
This poor one cried out and the Lord heard,
and from all his distress he saved him.
The angel of the Lord encamps
around those who fear him, and he saves them.
Taste and see that the Lord is good;
blessed is the stalwart one who takes refuge in him.
Fear the Lord, you his holy ones;
nothing is lacking to those who fear him.
The rich grow poor and go hungry,
but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.
III
Come, children, listen to me;
I will teach you fear of the Lord.
Who is the man who delights in life,
who loves to see the good days?
Keep your tongue from evil,
your lips from speaking lies.
Turn from evil and do good;
seek peace and pursue it.
The eyes of the Lord are directed toward the righteous
and his ears toward their cry.
The Lord’s face is against evildoers
to wipe out their memory from the earth.
the righteous cry out, the Lord hears
and he rescues them from all their afflictions.
The Lord is close to the brokenhearted,
saves those whose spirit is crushed.
Many are the troubles of the righteous,
but the Lord delivers him from them all.
He watches over all his bones;
not one of them shall be broken.
Evil will slay the wicked;
those who hate the righteous are condemned.
The Lord is the redeemer of the souls of his servants;
and none are condemned who take refuge in him
Psalms 34:1-23
Okay, I know I just talked about singing yesterday, but I have to at least mention it again today. This is the psalm from which we get a hymn that is the favorite in my family! The hymn is “Taste and See.” The chorus has some of the most beautiful harmonies written for it, and the verses have a lovely melodic line.
Whenever Mom gathers us to sing for a family wedding or funeral, you can almost bet this will be the communion hymn. So for us, this hymn is like a long-standing family tradition, similar to holiday festivities that you might enjoy. The opening lines of the psalm are used in the first verse of the hymn, and I’m sure I will be singing them in my head for the next several days.
But I’m finding some other sections of this psalm that speak to me, too. I especially love this part of section III: “Who is the man who delights in life, who loves to see the good days? Keep your tongue from evil, your lips from speaking lies. Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.” We should all delight in life, and it couldn’t hurt to seek peace!
For me, this paints the picture of what ought to be our goal for this life. When people see us, they should notice immediately how we delight in life. We need to pursue the eternal joy that God has planned for us, and more importantly, to share it with the world.
I try to ask myself frequently, “am I being a source of light and joy in this world, or am I bringing others down?” Of course, as human beings, we will all have our moods. But we should at least strive to bring happiness to others.
I am learning that I can smile and be friendly, even when I’m not in a particularly good mood. Now if I could just learn to carry that positive attitude to everyone around me, even those who are causing my grief. THAT would be the ultimate success!
And the good news continues in this psalm, for we also read that, “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted, saves those whose spirit is crushed.” What a blessing! Even when I can’t manage to find that smile to share with the world, the Lord understands. “The Lord is the redeemer of the souls of his servants; and none are condemned who take refuge in him.”
So whether I am enjoying a beautiful hymn with my family, or doing my best to share a smile with the world, or even struggling with some kind of grief, the Lord is always with me, supporting my efforts. Can I get another, “Amen?”