An Appreciation for Psalm 34

"the faithful God"

Deuteronomy 7:9

Years ago, in Bible study, I remember a morning when we sang two particular worship songs before we began our study.  The first one was "You Are My King," which includes the following lines in the chorus:

"Amazing love, how can it be?

that You, my King, would die for me.

Amazing love, I know it's true

and it's my joy to honor You...

In all I do,

I honor You." 

And I gotta be honest, I had trouble singing that.  "In all I do, I honor You."  That is completely not true.  How could I pretend like everything I do is honoring to Him?

I know; I was being a little literal.  I'm like that. 

Fortunately, the next song we sang was exactly what I needed.  It's called "Hungry," and it contains the following words:

"Hungry, I come to You...

Broken, I run to You...

I'm falling on my knees

Offering all of me..."

Now these were lyrics I could get behind.   Hungry?  Yes.  Broken?  Totally.  But the kicker was "offering all of me."  I'm a sinner, with flaws galore.  I'm unreliable, and forgetful and repeatedly self-involved.  But I can honestly say that I offer my life to Him.  I want His will to be my will.

I'm reminded of the dichotomy of those two concepts every time I hear either one of those songs.  But I also thought about it Sunday morning, as we read Psalm 34 in church.  It was those first two lines that gave me pause:

"I will bless the Lord at all times;

His praise shall continually be in my mouth."

Nope.  Not true.  I should be like that, I know.  But it's very far from being true in my life. 

But then the psalm continued:

"I sought the Lord, and He answered me

and delivered me from all my fears."

and:

"Blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!"

and:

"those who seek the Lord lack no good thing."

and of course:

"The Lord is near to the brokenhearted

and saves the crushed in spirit."

And all of those statements, I know to be true. 

You see the important point there?  Though I fail, repeatedly, He does not.  Though I do not praise Him as I should, He will not abandon me.  Though I am faithless, He is faithful.  He cannot deny Himself.

2 Timothy 2:13

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