February 17, 2015 – Tuesday

Start Time: 6:01 AM

End Time:  6:35 AM

Title: Of David.  When he pretended to be insane before Abimelek, who drove him away and he left.

Scripture: Psalm 34:1 – 22

God’s Message / God’s Promise / God’s Commands:

→ David made a decision to extol and praise the Lord at all times.  As he wrote this chapter, we can see that David chose or made a constant decision in his life daily to extol the Lord and praise Him.  He will glory in the Lord not in silence but he wants all the afflicted to hear and rejoice with him.  This verses that David wrote tells me that if we are afflicted, if we are going through some struggles or issues in our lives, we ought to listen and rejoice with him, and exalt God's Name together.  Now, that's what we ought to do.  For David said, when he sought the Lord, He answered.  God delivered him from all his fears.  So when we are concerned or feeling troubled, let's seek the Lord and as we remember from previous lesson, seeking includes praise and worship and thanksgiving to God. David continued on to assure us that those who look to God will never be covered with shame.  He even described himself as a poor man - now is there a poor king?  David is known to be one of the richest kings in the world yet he described himself as poor in the presence of the Lord.  And the Lord heard him and saved him out of his troubles.

Now David is encouraging us to taste and see that the Lord is good!  Let us not be contented of hearing and seeing God's goodness from someone else's lives.  Let us taste it ourselves!  let us see it happening in ourselves too!  How?  Take refuge in Him, Fear Him, and seek Him.  David's advised to us who wants to see many good days in our lives is to keep our tongue from evil and turn from evil to good, seeking peace and pursuing it!

David spoke of certainty for he was speaking from his own personal experience.  He knew that the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and His ears are attentive to their cry.  But at the same time, the Lord is against those who do evil and blot out their name from the earth.  David spoke of God hearing the cries of the righteous in this chapter to emphasize the truth that most of us waver from especially when we are in distress or trouble.  We feel abandoned but David is assuring us with full certainty that God hears our cries so call upon the Lord as often as we should!  Praise and extol His Name daily, make that conscious decision every day to worship Him, and have a taste of His goodness :) But note that the many times David spoke of God's dealings with the righteous is the same number of times he spoke of God's dealings to the unrighteous or evil.  So David in this chapter does not only encourages us to be faithful to God but also warns us of evil.  Be cautious and vigilant at all times.

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, thank You for helping me to understand that praising and worshiping You requires a decision and a commitment that I must make each day.  Not every day will be a great time to praise and worship You but despite of the feelings or emotions or whatever circumstances there are, I am to decide to extol Your Name and lift You up in my life.  Help me Lord to never be contented to be just a witness or a hearer of Your goodness to others but will long to taste and experience it myself each day.  Give me wisdom to do so and make each day as You designed it to be Lord.  In Jesus' Name, Amen!