Psalm 34 (NRSV) “Being Radiant”
I will bless the Lord at all times;
his praise shall continually be in my mouth.
My soul makes its boast in the Lord;
let the humble hear and be glad.
O magnify the Lord with me,
and let us exalt his name together.
I sought the Lord, and he answered me
and delivered me from all my fears.
Look to him, and be radiant,
so your faces shall never be ashamed.
This poor soul cried and was heard by the Lord
and was saved from every trouble.
The angel of the Lord encamps
around those who fear him and delivers them.
O taste and see that the Lord is good;
happy are those who take refuge in him.
O fear the Lord, you his holy ones,
for those who fear him have no want.
The young lions suffer want and hunger,
but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.
Come, O children, listen to me;
I will teach you the fear of the Lord.
Which of you desires life
and covets many days to enjoy good?
Keep your tongue from evil
and your lips from speaking deceit.
Depart from evil, and do good;
seek peace, and pursue it.
The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,
and his ears are open to their cry.
The face of the Lord is against evildoers,
to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.
When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears
and rescues them from all their troubles.
The Lord is near to the brokenhearted
and saves the crushed in spirit.
Many are the afflictions of the righteous,
but the Lord rescues them from them all.
He keeps all their bones;
not one of them will be broken.
Evil brings death to the wicked,
and those who hate the righteous will be condemned.
The Lord redeems the life of his servants;
none of those who take refuge in him will be condemned.
Devotion
The Psalms are just so natural, so emotional, so “human,” aren’t they? The sun shines, the winds howl, the young lions suffer, the days grow longer and the nights shorter. Poor souls cry, children listen, and evildoers are turned away. And the Psalms bring us closer to God by imagining God as God has imagined us. The Lord’s face shines upon us, the Lord has ears to hear, eyes to see, arms to embrace and shield, a mouth to whisper.
Psalm 34 has 22 verses, a two-minute read for a day of being closer to God. When you read this Psalm, or any Psalm for that matter:
Let the beauty of the Psalm touch your soul
And be beautiful, just like the Psalm.
Let the poor soul crying in the Psalm cry with you
And be comforted, God is listening.
Let the eyes of the Lord stare into your heart
And stare back, honesty doesn’t blink.
Let the Lord’s face shine upon you
And “look to him, and be radiant.”
Prayer
Merciful God
We praise you for your goodness,
For your grace that sustains us,
For the life, death, and resurrection of your Son, Jesus Christ
In which we find our salvation.
Our cup, O Lord, does indeed run over.
Amen.
David Morrison