Psalm 34

Of David. When he pretended to be insane before Abimelech, who drove him away, and he left.
¹ I will extol the LORD at all times; his praise will always be on my lips.
² My soul will boast in the LORD; let the afflicted hear and rejoice.
³ Glorify the LORD with me; let us exalt his name together.
⁴ I sought the LORD, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.
⁵ Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame.
⁶ This poor man called, and the LORD heard him; he saved him out of all his troubles.
⁷ The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them.
⁸ Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.
⁹ Fear the LORD, you his saints, for those who fear him lack nothing.
¹⁰ The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.
¹¹ Come, my children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the LORD.
¹² Whoever of you loves life and desires to see many good days,
¹³ keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking lies.
¹⁴ Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.
¹⁵ The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their cry;
¹⁶ the face of the LORD is against those who do evil, to cut off the memory of them from the earth.
¹⁷ The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles.
¹⁸ The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
¹⁹ A righteous man may have many troubles, but the LORD delivers him from them all;
²⁰ he protects all his bones, not one of them will be broken.
²¹ Evil will slay the wicked; the foes of the righteous will be condemned.
²² The LORD redeems his servants; no one will be condemned who takes refuge in him.

It is amazing how as we grow older in this life of ours, we try to find purpose. One of the goals we strive for is a life that seems to have everything in place with no problems surrounding us and everyone seems to get along together in a peaceful manner. However, as David states in verse 19 a righteous man may have many troubles and they seem to come when we seem to have everything going in the right direction. Yet we are promised that God will deliver us from them all. I love verse 22 which states no one will be condemned who takes refuge in Him. On that great day in Heaven when I stand before the throne of God my song will be Jesus paid it all.

One of the themes that I see happening in the Christian circles today and one that I write about in my daily devotionals is living a purpose driven life. As I daily read and study the Psalms and the book of Proverbs, I have realized that the purpose driven life is simply a matter of trust and obey. I trust in the Lord and obey his teachings to me. As David writes in verse eleven, “Come my children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord.” Therefore, my simple purpose for living is to live a blameless life before men and trust in the Lord to meet ALL my daily needs.

It been a few years since I wrote the words above, but as I go back and reflect on the Psalms again and how they played an important role in helping me find my simple purpose of living I cannot help to think about others who were on this same path and left it for another path. My love for good devotionals books takes me to several thrift stores in hope of finding a good bargain. One of the books I that I see so many copies of at these stores is “The Purpose Driven Life”. God’s way is narrow, but it is rewarding. The peace that God gives to those that follow him is amazing. So, seek Him with your whole heart and do not abandon this path for the ways of the world.