EVERY DAY WITH JESUS
Daily Devotions from
Saint Lucas Evangelical Lutheran Church, Milwaukee, WI
August 9-15, 2010
This week we are going to slow our walk through the book of Psalms. We have been selecting a verse or more from a different Psalm each day. We shall perhaps return to that pace soon. Meanwhile, this week and next, let’s savor many verses from one Psalm – Psalm 34. It’s awesome! Blessed is the person who knows it by heart and applies its promises to every day life. Let’s do that! May I suggest that you read through the entire Psalm first to "taste" it? In fact, wouldn't it be good to read through it (aloud?!) each day this week?
MONDAY, August 9 Psalm 34:1 “I will extol the LORD at all times; His praise will always be on my lips.”
“AT ALL TIMES” God is always worthy of our praise. Always. Yet there are times when our flesh overtakes our spirit and the praise stops. Discontent drowns contentment. Complaints stifle praise.
My old self never wants to praise God. Various circumstances provide cover for that sinful attitude. Problems and pain, adversity and loss stimulate a spirit of unhappiness instead of encouraging praise.
Yet the fact remains: God is always worthy of our praise. He deserves it. He deserves it especially when life is difficult because He is the One, the only One, who will help us through the difficulty and enable us to stand safely on the other side of Trouble River.
The believing Psalmist urges us by His own good intentions to praise the LORD “at all times” and “always”.
No matter what your situation, stop right now – praise God!
PRAYER: Touched by Your grace and impressed by Your power O LORD – I praise You! By Your Spirit, empower me to express that praise at all times in all ways.. AMEN!
TUESDAY, August 10 Psalm 34:2 “My soul will boast in the LORD; let the afflicted hear and rejoice.”
AFFLICTED About the last thing an afflicted person might want to do is join in a song of praise to God. Hearts weighed down by problems and pain don’t feel like praise.
But, it is precisely such persons that David invites and encourages to unite with him in praising God. The afflicted are humble, poor sinners beaten down by life, struggling to get by. We’ve all been there to some degree at some time.
Join me as I boast about God, David sings. Be glad as you do! The primary reason for afflicted persons to praise God with joy is the promise of deliverance from affliction that He promises and provides. The rest of this Psalm celebrates that. Suffice it to be summarized this way for now – in the affliction that weighs you down God is with you to strengthen and deliver you.
Dear LORD, let the sure promises of Your Presence and Your deliverance prompt my heart to be joyful and my lips to express Your praise – especially in affliction. AMEN!
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 11 Psalm 34:3 “Glorify the LORD with me; let us exalt His Name together.”
TOGETHER No man is an island. People, especially people in affliction, might tend to act like a wounded animal. Crawl off some place by ourselves to lick our wounds and experience our pain in solitude.
Next time you find yourself afflicted try this instead. Get “together” with someone at their home or yours. Invite them to join you or accept their invitation to join them. Accept God’s invitation and obey His command to come to His house to praise him “together” with His people.
You will go away blessed. You will receive strength and hope to carry on – to endure your affliction until God delivers you from it.
PRAYER: LORD, keep me together with You and Your people to encourage me in my affliction and them in theirs. Let us join to praise You. AMEN!
THURSDAY, AUGUST 12 Psalm 34:4a “I sought the LORD and He answered me…”
ANSWERED Here is a word for the afflicted – ANSWERED. Who of us hasn’t felt at times that God is not hearing our prayer? Especially in times of affliction that can seem to be the reality. But, it’s a lie.
For Jesus’ sake, God hears and ANSWERS all of our prayers. Every single one. The answer comes in His way. It comes at His time. But, come it does.
David confesses this truth. David experienced its truth. You will too. Guaranteed! Guaranteed by God! Jesus expressed it this way: “I tell you the truth, My Father will give you whatever you ask in My Name.” (John 16:23)
Approach God through faith in Jesus. Trust His love. Seek His will. Ask for His solution at His time. It will come.
PRAYER: Thank You LORD for faithfully answering all the prayers of Your people. Help me to remember that; to pray in faith; to await Your deliverance confident that You love me and know best what I and those for whom I pray need. AMEN!
FRIDAY, August 13 Psalm 34:4b “…He delivered me from all my fears.”
DELIVERED Now we begin to see why believing David urges other believers, especially afflicted ones, to join him in praising God. David believed God’s Word and learned from experience that God answers all the prayers of His people with DELIVERANCE.
He will help! Don’t turn from Him – turn to Him. Praise Him. Praise Him by bringing your petitions to Him through faith in Jesus, your Savior.
He will answer. You will be delivered from all the things that you fear. Until the deliverance comes, your Refuge will be your Strength. Good reasons to pray to Him hey?!
PRAYER: LORD, You are awesome. Thanks for loving me. Thanks for listening to me. Thank You forever for Your deliverance provided to me in Jesus. Deliverance from sin and death especially; but also deliverance in every lesser need too. AMEN!
SATURDAY, AUGUST 14 Psalm 34:5 “Those who look to Him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame.”
RADIANT God’s face shine on us through our Savior, Jesus Christ, His only Son. He favors us with pardon and peace. He promises deliverance and delivers what He promises. His face is radiant with forgiving providing love!
So, trusting His faithfulness, we praise Him. We praise Him in a special way by bringing our afflictions to Him. We “look to Him”. This honors Him. It says He alone is God. It says He is able to help and that He loves us enough to use His ability to help. It says we
What’s the result when we “look to Him”? We are radiant – reflecting the pure radiance of His love and peace which He has given to us. We will not hide our face in shame like those who relied on a faulty promise. Confident of deliverance, we shine with faith ‘til deliverance arrives. And arrive it will!
PRAYER: LORD, let the radiance of Your love for me shine in my life at all times, in all places, to all people for Your glory. AMEN!
SUNDAY, AUGUST 15 Psalm 34:6a “This poor man called, and the LORD heard Him…”
POOR MAN The person God used to write these words was David, the King of Israel. How can he describe himself as poor? Of course the poverty of which David speaks has nothing to do with bank accounts. It is a poverty of spirit. A lack of righteousness.
Just as money cannot buy access to God or purchase His assistance in time of affliction; neither can we earn His help by our character or behavior. On the basis of their own performance, no one possesses the righteousness that would merit God’s rescue. Our promise, to forsake sin if only He will help us this one time, are wasted. We can’t pay for our past or earn God’s help for our future.
Mary, the mother of Jesus, sang of this truth in her song: “He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty.” (Luke 1:53)
But those who admit their poverty, who confess their sin, and seek God’s mercy, will receive what they seek. “He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap; He seats them with princes and has them inherit a throne of honor” sang Hannah, (I Samuel 2:8), Mary’s soulmate.
Like you, I am a poor man. But, God is rich in grace. From our absolute poverty we poor people cry out and God’s grace provides us with the riches of His deliverance in Jesus! Poor man? How about RICH MAN?!
PRAYER: Dear Jesus, “we are rich for You were poor, is not this a wonder? We will praise You ever more, here on earth and yonder”! AMEN!
