The Lord Delivers the Righteous: Psalm 34

Since the resurgence of my quest to find peace amidst the unceasing turmoil created by the evil of ISIS and other radical groups, I have had some astoundingly comforting and sweet time with The Lord. Daily, He has pointed me to promises made in scripture through His written Word. Today was no different.

The study I've been following for the last week or so had me resting in Psalm 34 this afternoon and it could not be more perfect for the current happenings around our globe. This is what I love about the Bible. There is no other book that can say the exact same thing through hundreds of years but speak so intimately and specifically to every person in every phase and season of life. The Bible is never irrelevant, regardless of societal beliefs.

In my particular Bible, each chapter/section of each book is titled. Psalm 34 is titled, "The Lord Delivers the Righteous." In the study notes, I learned that Psalm 34 is given this title because of its relation to David's deliverance from King Achish of Gath. Achish was a Philistine and knew that David had killed many Philistines in his time. David became paranoid that Achish would be after him soon and because David was already fleeing the grips of Saul, it seemed certain that death was gaining ground.

Isn't that true for us today? Doesn't it seem certain that death is gaining ground? That evil is conquering good? Couldn't we use some delivering today?

Friend, God has promised time and again that He delivers those who trust in him. Verse 7 of Psalm 34 says is beautifully, "The Angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him, and rescues them." Yahweh fights for His people (2 Kings 19:35). We need not be afraid, we have the Creator of the world on our side. We have the Giver of hope, the King of kings, and Lord of lords in our circle.

But here is one thing we must remember, deliverance doesn't always come this side of heaven. Suffering happens. Disasters occur. People groups get wiped out. Generations lost. But "the Lord redeems the life of His servants, and all who take refuge in Him will not be punished" (v. 22).

Our hope is not in this world. It is not in this life. We were made for something greater, somewhere greater. This place is not our home. We cannot expect safety on this earth. Our citizenship is in heaven, at the right hand of God. Even when disaster strikes, God is still on His throne. He is unchanged. He is unthwarted. When we truly believe that, we can say faithfully, "I will praise the Lord at all times; His praise will always be on my lips" (v.1).