A Road Map for Life | Beginning With GodSample

ALL AND NONE (Psalm 34)

Do you ever feel like you’re just waiting for things to get better? You think, “At some point things have got to change, and make a turn for the good.”

We have all been there and had those thoughts in our minds. That is exactly where David was living when he wrote Psalm 34. He was moving from place to place and from person to person, just trying to survive and figure out where to go next.

In fact, at this writing, he had fled from Saul and gone to Gath for a visit with Ahimelech the priest, looking for answers. He would get the sword of Goliath and a few provisions, but then he was driven away even from there. It was as if he couldn’t even find a place to rest.

We have all felt that way — like you just want things to settle down but that doesn’t seem to be happening. You would think a man in David's spot should be in total despair; there should be despondency in his voice. But that is certainly not how verse 1 sounds:

“I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth.”

That does not sound like a man who was living under awful circumstances. The writer of this verse had his eyes on the God who was greater than his circumstances.

The Bible says in I John 4:4, “Greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.” I think David was living that principle in the Old Testament. He truly believed that God was greater, so he chose to praise the Lord continually.

We have all heard the words, “Pray without ceasing” (I Thessalonians 5:17), but have you ever considered that we should also praise without ceasing? These two things are inextricably linked. When you pray as you should, it will lead you to praise, and vice versa. Both of these activities usher you into the presence of God.

You may not be out of your circumstances, but you can still be in His presence. That is a wonderful thought. As I Thessalonians 5:16 and 5:18 instruct us, “Rejoice evermore. … In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”

Praise is a choice and a command. David chose to do it all the time. It is easy to praise when things are going well. But what about those times of uncertainty, when the exclamation point turns into a question mark? Well, as someone once said, “All means all, and that’s all it means.”

If you are wondering how one goes about blessing the Lord at all times, the rest of Psalm 34 shows us. In fact, the word “all” is woven throughout these verses.

Verse 4: “I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.”

Verse 6: “This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles.”

Verse 17: “The righteous cry, and the Lord heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles.”

Verse 19: “Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the Lord delivereth him out of them all.”

Our God is a God of absolutes, of certainty, and of confidence. He is the God of all.

He has made a way so that no matter what you are dealing with today, He will be enough. You can praise Him at all times by recognizing that He is always there.

In verses 4-5, we learn that God delivers us from all fears. I love what the Bible says in II Timothy 1:7. “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” That is certainly a verse we need in times like these.

The Apostle Paul also wrote in Philippians 4:6-7, “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” There is that word “all” again.

In I Peter 5:7 it is expressed this way: “Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.”

Are you living in fear today? Don’t. Instead, live with your eyes on the Lord, and claim the promise in Psalm 34:4 that He will deliver you from all of your fears.

Also, God delivers us from all our troubles. That was made clear in verse 6. Notice the singular pronoun “his” in that verse. It is personal. Just as David referred solely to himself, we can apply that to our own lives.

In contrast, verse 17 uses the plural pronouns “them” and “their.” That tells me that God will deliver me individually and also deliver His people collectively. That is why verse 7 says, “The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them.” If you fear God, there is nothing else to fear because He is going to deliver you.

The word “trouble” in this psalm refers to “a tight place.” We might call it “between a rock and a hard place.” You have probably felt that way before; maybe you do right now. But rest assured that God is exactly where you are, and He will bring you through it.

We can follow the same pattern followed by David in Psalm 34: we cry to the Lord; the Lord hears us; and the Lord delivers us. It is that simple.

Verse 19 shows that God delivers us from all our afflictions. The word “afflictions” in this instance means “evil.” That is why Jesus directed us in Matthew 6:13 to pray for God to “deliver us from evil.” It refers to deliverance from the devil. Aren’t you glad that the Lord is greater than your enemy and has already conquered him? As a result, he makes us “more than conquerors,” according to Romans 8:37.

God never intended for you to live a defeated, deflated life. He wants you to live in victory, joy, and power — to be an overcomer.

No matter what David was facing, God was over all. That is how David could say, “I will bless the Lord at all times.”

Now take a look at how the psalm ends, in verse 22. “The Lord redeemeth the soul of his servants: and none of them that trust in him shall be desolate.”

We have gone from repeated mentions of “all” to this verse that uses the word “none.” Most of the time you see this word in the Bible, it is negative. This time it is positive.

The phrase “be desolate” means “perish.” Friend, I don’t know how all of my circumstances are going to end, but I do know that in the end, I am not going to perish. The worst thing that can happen is to die and go straight into the presence of God forever. Recently I heard a man proclaim, “Don’t threaten me with Heaven.” That is a beautiful expression.

Whatever trouble you are dealing with today is simply a reminder that you need the Lord. If you will determine to praise God right where you are, He will bring you through it.

I want to challenge you today to “bless the Lord at all times” and see Him work in all the situations of your life.