He's Good (At All Times)

For me, it started in middle school: the sense that once I just made it through x, y, or z, I could rest. “Once I make it through the end of the school year,” soon became “once I graduate from high school,” which then became “once I figure out what I’m doing after college.” This only rolled into “once I’m married,” and today has transformed into “once we’ve exited the season of raising littles.”

Maybe, like me, you long for that moment when all the loose ends of life have been tied up into a neat little bow. Then, you could rest. But deep down, you probably know this moment will never arrive.

In Psalm 34, David leads us to stop, even in the midst of ongoing uncertainty and challenges, to see daily grace. He shows us how to find peace by praising God for today’s mercies, despite what tomorrow might bring.

David composes this Psalm after a recent deliverance from those seeking to take his life; however, David’s world remains one of impending fear. He is still being hunted by the jealous King Saul, and his future only holds more violence, rejection, and loss. Yet, despite the unknown of tomorrow, David’s faith in a sovereign God frees him to rejoice in the blessings of today.

The Psalm begins, “I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth.” Notice what David’s praise is qualified by: at all times. When the season racked with physical suffering or sickness seems to have no end in sight; when the days at an unfulfilling job stretch on and on; when the loneliness and unmet desires press in…like David, we can bless the Lord. Why?

David’s prayer unpacks what I’ve categorized into four concrete reasons to praise God:

First, we can praise God because he answers us. “I sought the Lord, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed,” David says in verses 4-5.

We’ve all experienced the sting of rejection, of seeking acceptance or closeness and being shut down. David is saying that those who look to God will never be rejected, only to walk away in shame; but rather, they will be answered with God’s presence and made radiant! Has God answered you with his presence today? This is a beautiful cause for praise!

Second, we can praise God because he delivers us. In verse 6, David says that God answered his cries and saved him from out all of his troubles, and in verse 7, he declares that God camps around those who fear him and delivers them. What has God delivered you from today? Has he delivered you from your exhaustion and given you strength? From your despair and given you hope? From your isolation and given you connection? For all his deliverances, great and small, we can give praise. And if not, we can consider whether we have stopped to ask God for his help.

Third, we can praise God because he is compassionate toward us. In verses 15-18, David says that God’s eyes and ears are on his people. When we cry for help, God hears. To the broken-hearted, God is near, and for those crushed in spirit, he saves. In whatever trials you might be facing, God is compassionately with you in them. For this, we can give praise.

Fourth, we can praise God because he redeems our lives. In verses 19-22, David ends his Psalm declaring that God will deliver us. David foreshadows Christ’s death and resurrection, saying in verse 20, “He keeps all his bones; not one of them is broken.” As Christians, we share in Christ’s resurrection, and therefore we have hope in an eternal future with God, free from sin. As verse 22 declares, “None of those who take refuge in him will be condemned.” For God’s gift of eternal pardon and restoration, we can give praise today.

At the center of David’s prayer is his call to join him in praising God. “Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him! Oh, fear the Lord, you his saints, for those who fear him have no lack! (Psalm 34:8-9).” David is inviting us: go to God in praise for today’s mercies, and you’ll find yourself blessed and completely satisfied. Taste and see God’s goodness, and trust him for that grace to renew again each day.