Message of the Week

The Little White Community Church

Scripture: Ps. 34     Nov. 24, 2024

Message: “I Will Bless the Lord!”

by Pastor George Gnade

Intro.: 1. Today is Thanksgiving Sunday. It is a very appropriate time to just praise the Lord. Ps. 34 is a Psalm of David written while he was fleeing from King Saul. 

a. This was early on before he really knew where to go. On this occasion, still by himself, he decided he would try to live in the city of Gath, under the leadership of Achish, king of Gath. He hoped no one would know who he was.

b. Unfortunately, many of them did know who he was and how he had defeated many of the Philistines while serving under King Saul.

2. They had heard of the popular saying: “Saul has killed his thousands and David his tens of thousands.”  That meant that this visitor was actually one of their enemies. 

a. Have you ever prayed and felt led to try something only to find yourself in deeper trouble than when you started? That is what happened t0 David.  

b. You will find this story in I Sam. 21:10-15. So David pretended to be out of his mind! He acted like an insane person, “making marks on the doors of the gates and letting his spit fall over his beard.”  

3. After all, he must have been out of his mind to go there in the first place. Amazingly, it worked.  Achish told his men to throw him out. David knew this was more than good luck. This was an answer to the prayers coming from his heart! This is why he wrote Ps. 34. 

A. His immediate reaction to what happened is in vs. 1. “I will extol the Lord at all times. His praise shall continually be in my mouth.”

1. Have you bragged about someone who helped you do something special? That is exactly what David did. In Vs. 2 he writes: “My soul will boast about the Lord!”

a. And then he adds: “Let the afflicted hear and be glad.”

b. David wanted everybody to know that the Lord our God specializes in getting His people out of trouble. So if you have problems, David recommends His God to you. 

2. In Ps. 34:3, he continues: “Glorify the Lord with me; let us exalt the Lord together.” Thanksgiving is a time to share how the Lord has helped us so we can all rejoice in the Lord together.

B. Then David shares what the power of prayer can do.

1. In vs.4, he writes: “I sought the Lord and He answered me; He delivered me from all my fears.”

a. With King Saul chasing him and the Philistines threatening him, who wouldn’t feel scared? Now here he was trapped inside of the city of Gath. But the Lord delivered him! He delivered him from all of his fears. 

b. Again David wanted to turn our attention, not to himself, but to the Lord. Vs. 5 says: “Those who look to Him are radiant, their faces are never covered with shame.”  If you will trust Him, everything will work together for good. 

2. In vs. 6, David again talks about the value of prayer. This time he writes: “This poor man called, and the Lord the Lord heard him; He saved him out of all of his troubles!”

a. When David fled from King Saul, he had nothing, not even food to eat. In this emergency, he went to the priest in the tabernacle and asked for the “show bread” on the table of the Lord. And the priest gave him some food (I Sam. 21:1-6). 

b. David didn’t even dare tell the priest the details. So he told some half-truths instead. But in this situation, mercy seasoned justice.

c. So when David prayed, he truly was a poor man who had nothing to offer God but his faith in Him. And God delivered him, not only from his fears, but also from his troubles. 

C. Consider David’s faith in the Lord that he wanted to pass on to others who had fears and troubles like him.

1. In vs. 7, David wrote: “The Angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him and delivers them.”

a. I capitalized “The Angel of the Lord” because this phrase is usually used to refer to the Lord Jesus as He would appear to people in the O.T.   In Matt. 28:20., Jesus made this even clearer when He promised His disciples: “I will be with you always, even to the end of the age.” 

b. But I also believe that sometimes Jesus simply sends His angels to look after His people. Obviously, if Jesus sends them to serve us, it is just as if Jesus Himself was serving us. Either way, what a beautiful promise for those who have faith in the Lord.

2. Another expression of David’s faith is found in vs. 8. He writes: “Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him.”

a. “Taste” in this verse is talking about spiritual food for the soul. When you put your trust in Christ and ask Him into your heart, you are tasting of the goodness of the Lord and expressing your faith that He will deliver you in His own time and way.

b. In I Peter 2: 2, he writes: “Like newborn babes, crave spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.”

c. Another way to grow in your faith is by reading or hearing the Words of the Bible. Every promise you claim and every truth you believe makes your faith even stronger. 

3. Another way “to taste and see that the Lord is good” is to trust Him through a trying time. Everytime the Lord delivers you or provides for you or takes away your fears, it will strengthen you, just as food would strengthen you, and make you better prepared for the next time. 

D. Finally, consider the promise God gave David to share with us in vs.9-10.

1. He writes: “Fear the Lord, you his saints, for those who fear Him will lack nothing. The lions may grow weary and hungry but those who seek the Lord will lack no good thing.”

a. To “fear the Lord” is to develop a deep respect for Him.  Notice the parallel phrase: “those who seek Him will lack no good thing.” 

b. If the culture says one thing but God’s Word clearly says something different, someone who fears the Lord will choose to do it God’s way. 

2. “To seek the Lord” means that worshiping Him and learning about Him so that your thoughts are constantly renewed by Him is of great value to you.

a. I like the way Paul put it in Rom. 12: 1-2. “I beseech you, therefore, brethren, by the mercy of God, to present yourselves as living sacrifices, as holy and presentable to God, which is the least we could do for Him. And be not conformed to the world but be transformed by renewing your mind so that you may learn how good and acceptable and perfect the will of God really is.”

b. The closer we walk with the Lord the more we will taste and see that He is good. And the more we will experience His deliverance from the fears and trials of life.

In Conclusion: 1. A Christian should never assume that being a Christian will make life easy. That is not true, but it will make life easier and give life more meaning.

2. So let us keep on praising the Lord and encouraging others to praise the Lord, especially during Thanksgiving.