FRIDAY FEBRUARY 14
I will extol the Lord at all times; his praise will
always be on my lips. Psalm 34:1
All Times Are Times to
Praise the Lord
Throughout the history of the church, music has been
a powerful means for praising the Lord. A modern classic is the song
“Indescribable” by Chris Tomlin, which exults: “From the highest of heights to
the depths of the sea, creation’s revealing your majesty . . . / Indescribable,
uncontainable, you placed the stars in the sky and you know them by name. You
are amazing, God.”
Amen! Psalm 34 demonstrates that all times are times
to praise the Lord. David said: “I will extol the Lord at all times; his praise
will always be on my lips” (v. 1). Praise is an activity in God’s time that
it’s always time for, regardless of circumstances. So the psalmist invited
others to join in: “Glorify the Lord with me; let us exalt his name together”
(v. 3).
The congregation’s praise isn’t whistling in the
dark or a manufactured emotion. The spirit of praise is founded upon God’s
loving faithfulness to His people (v. 5). We can count on Him to hear, save,
and deliver us (vv. 4–7). A “poor man” knows that he is utterly dependent on
God. Even the lion, king of beasts, might go hungry, but “those who seek the
Lord lack no good thing” (v. 10). In response, we are to fear the Lord (v. 9),
meaning to show Him appropriate reverence and awe, as well as to delight in Him
(v. 8).
We often think of praise as response to blessings,
but it’s not limited to that. According to the superscription for this psalm,
for example, it was written during a time when David was fleeing from Saul. He
went so far as to take temporary refuge among the Philistines, feigning
insanity to deceive his hosts (see 1 Sam. 21:10–15). Though David escaped, it
doesn’t really look to us like an occasion for exalting the Lord—but Psalm 34
shows otherwise.
Taken
from the Word for You Today Devotional
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