Psalm 34 speaks

 Psalms is one of my favorite books of the Bible to read.  I read some of Psalms often. Whether I am feeling blessed or troubled, I can always find Psalms speaks to my heart. Recently, I have really been dwelling on the verses in Psalm 34. Verses 1 -9 say:

I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make her boast in the Lord: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad. O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together. I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears. They looked unto him, and were lightened: and their faces were not ashamed. This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them. O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him. O fear the Lord, ye his saints: for there is no want to them that fear him.

This speaks to me with every line. I need to spend my time blessing the Lord. His praise should be what I speak continually. Complaints and murmuring need to disappear and no longer be a part of my vocabulary or thoughts. I should, instead, focus on praising Almighty God who has delivered me, saved me, and kept me. He deserves every praise I can give and more than I do give him.  I can be a witness to others by sharing and testifying of His goodness to me. I can invite others to magnify him and exalt his name. We join together in worship and praise. We can share what God has done. He has blessed us and he deserves our blessing and praise. We need to be a leader of praise. We need to encourage others to praise God as well. We know he dwells in the praises of his people. Let us lift him up in praise. 

I sought the Lord and he hear me. He delivered me from all my fears. This verse reminds me that I can seek God in every circumstance and he will answer. He is always ready with an answer for my every problem. He has told us not to fear many times. It is said, that the BIble records, "Do not fear," 365 times. He can be trusted to have the answer for every need. We can look to him and he will be there. He will not leave us or forsake us. He hears our every cry and carries us through every trial when we keep our eyes on him.  Just as Peter walked on the water when he was looking at Jesus, but began to sink when he took his eyes off Jesus and looked at the waves, we too, will continue to walk toward Jesus when we keep our eyes and hearts focused on him. He will place his angels round us and protect us as we go through this life and all of its troubles. 

O taste and see that the Lord is good.  This tells me how good God is. We can enjoy his goodness and show others around us how good God really is to us. We are blessed when we trust in him. We are able to look around us and see all the good he has done. From the beauty of nature, to the joy of children's laughter, we find the goodness of God.  I love to listen to and sing the song, Goodness of God. It is amazing to know he is good. Goodness exists because of God. Goodness comes from him alone. We cannot be good without him.  I am able to taste and see that the Lord is good.  

Fear the Lord. We have nothing to fear when we fear the Lord. We place our trust in him alone and we are under his care. He will lead us through every path, good and bad. He will provide all we need and he will never leave us to harm. There is a peace and security that comes from placing all we are and all we have into his hands. We run to him and are safe. He is our strong tower. He is our shield. He is our Provider and our Protector. We can find many scriptures that speak of how God protected his children and how he wants to do the same for those who trust in him. Place all your trust in him. Cast all your fears and anxieties at his feet. He cares for you. He cares greater and in ways we cannot even understand sometimes. He goes before us and behind us. He walks beside us. We just follow and hold on to his hand. He takes us through.

Psalms 34 speaks mighty things to my heart and mind. It encourages me and reminds me that God is for me and not against me. It reminds me of his love and goodness. I can praise him more because he is good. He deserves my highest praise.