Psalm 34

Blessed are those who fear the Lord. Over and over He leads me to the same words of wisdom in Scripture. What does God require of us? To be fair to all people, to forgive readily so that we can be forgiven and to always, always remember to be humble because it is nothing to do with us but everything to do with Him who gave His life in exchange for ours. Shout to the world of His mercy and grace!

The Happiness of Those Who Trust in God

1 I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.

2 My soul shall make its boast in the Lord;

The humble shall hear of it and be glad.

3 Oh, magnify the Lord with me,

And let us exalt His name together.

4 I sought the Lord, and He heard me,

And delivered me from all my fears.

5 They looked to Him and were radiant,

And their faces were not ashamed.

6 This poor man cried out, and the Lord heard him,

And saved him out of all his troubles.

7 The angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him,

And delivers them.

8 Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good;

Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!

9 Oh, fear the Lord, you His saints!

There is no want to those who fear Him.

10 The young lions lack and suffer hunger;

But those who seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing.

11 Come, you children, listen to me;

I will teach you the fear of the Lord.

12 Who is the man who desires life,

And loves many days, that he may see good?

13 Keep your tongue from evil,

And your lips from speaking deceit.

14 Depart from evil and do good;

Seek peace and pursue it.

15 The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,

And His ears are open to their cry.

16 The face of the Lord is against those who do evil,

To cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.

17 The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears,

And delivers them out of all their troubles.

18 The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart,

And saves such as have a contrite spirit.

19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous,

But the Lord delivers him out of them all.

20 He guards all his bones;

Not one of them is broken.

21 Evil shall slay the wicked,

And those who hate the righteous shall be condemned.

22 The Lord redeems the soul of His servants,

And none of those who trust in Him shall be condemned.

The NKJV Study Bible: Exalt His name together is David's call for the congregation to join him in his praise of God. He heard me is a classic statement of praise in the psalms. God is praised for the deliverance He provides in response to the prayers of His people. Those who came to God in prayer as David did found themselves transformed; it was as if they also experienced what Moses had on Mt. Sinai. The phrase the angel of the Lord and the name of God are often interchanged. With the sense of God surrounding or hovering over the believer in this manner, there is no need to fear—even in the most desperate times. The task of Israel was to attract the nations to their God. For their faithfulness to Him, God had promised to bless them abundantly, and when the nations saw this blessing they would see that the living God was with them. In the midst of a world of gods who were not good at all, there was one living God, and He was altogether good. Fear is a call to awe, wonder, worship, and reverence. To fear God is to respond to Him in piety and obedience. Time after time the believer is able to attest to the ways God has met needs. When the Scriptures speak of God being near, it is to comfort the believer with a sense of His care.