“Magnify the Lord- Psalm 34

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.

What an incredible passage of scripture. These words have brought me so much comfort as I prepare to speak this weekend. God has been stretching me for months in preparation for where He is leading me and as the nerves set in, He used my mentor to show me this passage. It is amazing how I have read this passage many times before but now because I am entering into a situation where I need calming and comfort, the words jumped off the page at me.

Here are some of the things that He showed me as I really studied these twenty-two verses.

First, we should magnify the Lord in all we do. We should be excited to share not only His greatness but also His place in our lives and the blessings and provisions that He has brought about in our life.

Second, we have to recognize that when we are walking with the Lord, He hears when we cry out to Him. He hears our prayers and provides us the comfort we need to calm our every fear. When we keep our focus upon Him, He works through us and provides for whatever our situation. When we look to ourselves to meet our needs or to accomplish something, we will find ourselves lacking and wanting because in ourselves there is no satisfaction.

Third, it is so important that we learn to fear the Lord and seek to serve Him because that is where we will find our truest happiness. Doing good is not enough to get us through this life but instead seeking truth and allowing it to take root in our hearts as well as living out His purpose for our life is what we should desire. We should yearn for peace and pursue it as we deny ourselves the things of this world that take our focus from God.

Fourth, as we seek to serve Him, we have to recognize that we each will have our own crosses to bear and attacks to thwart but the Lord is always there protecting us along the way. We are never alone when we are truly walking with the Lord.

Overall it comes down to our obedience to Him and His truth and loving and fearing Him above all else. Obedience should be our desire and consume our lives as we strive to live every day bringing honor and glory to Him.