Psalm 34
Of David, when he
pretended to be crazy before Abimelech, who banished him so that he left.
א 1 I will bless the Lord
at all times;
his
praise will always be in my mouth.
ב 2 I praise the Lord—
let the
suffering listen and rejoice.
ג 3 Magnify the Lord
with me!
Together
let us lift his name up high!
ד 4 I sought the Lord
and he
answered me.
He
delivered me from all my fears.
ה 5 Those who look to God will shine;
their
faces are never ashamed.
ז 6 This suffering person cried out:
the Lord listened and saved him
from
every trouble.
ח 7 On every side, the Lord’s
messenger
protects
those who honor God;
and he
delivers them.
ט 8 Taste and see
how good
the Lord is!
The one
who takes refuge in him
is truly
happy!
י 9 You who are the Lord’s
holy ones,
honor him
because
those who honor him
don’t
lack a thing.
כ 10 Even strong young lions
go
without and get hungry,
but those
who seek the Lord
lack no
good thing.
ל 11 Come, children, listen to me.
Let me
teach you
how to
honor the Lord:
מ 12 Do you love life;
do you
relish the chance
to enjoy
good things?
נ 13 Then you must keep your tongue
from evil
and keep
your lips
from
speaking lies!
ס 14 Turn away from evil! Do good!
Seek
peace and go after it!
ע 15 The Lord’s eyes
watch the
righteous,
his ears
listen to their cries for help.
פ 16 But the Lord’s
face is set against
those who
do evil,
to
eliminate even the memory of them
from the
earth.
צ 17 When the righteous cry out,
the Lord listens;
he
delivers them from all their troubles.
ק 18 The Lord is
close
to the
brokenhearted;
he saves
those whose spirits
are
crushed.
ד 19 The righteous have many problems,
but the Lord delivers them
from
every one.
ש 20 He protects all their bones;
not even
one will be broken.
21 But just one problem
will kill
the wicked,
and those
who hate the righteous
will be
held responsible.
22 The Lord saves
his servants’ lives;
all those
who take refuge in him
won’t be
held responsible for anything. [1]
Reflection: I once joked about borrowing a friend's handicap placard so I
could get a better parking spot at the store. Little did I realize how
insensitive that was to my friend who really struggled with her disability. In
many ways, she felt alone in the world. Most people did not understand her
disability and how it affected her life.
Moreover, people tended to stare or make fun of her without getting to
know her. This further alienated her from society. However, my friend was also a constant reminder that even
though she had a disability, God would use her. In the midst of my friend's
pain, she took comfort in trusting God to put her in places and situations to
share the love of Christ.
Reflection Questions:
Morning: How can we respond differently when we feel like the world is out to get us?
Morning: How can we respond differently when we feel like the world is out to get us?
Noon: How can we offer hospitality to those
who are different from us?
Evening: In what ways can we partner with our disabled sisters and
brothers to share the love of Christ?
Prayer: Lord, help me not to be self-centered. Help me to see people through your eyes so that we can share
your gospel together.
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