Psalm 34:15-22 – “The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their cry.  16 The face of the LORD is against those who do evil, to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.

17 The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears, and delivers them out of all their troubles. 18 The LORD is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves such as have a contrite spirit. 

19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the LORD delivers him out of them all.  20 He guards all his bones; not one of them is broken. 21 Evil shall slay the wicked, and those who hate the righteous shall be condemned. 22 The LORD redeems the soul of His servants, and none of those who trust in Him shall be condemned.”  NKJV

 

If I had unlimited time or even the time and space of a normal church service I would break this down as exhaustively as I could but due to the limitations of both time and space I will skim over the surface hitting the high points.  I trust that the Holy Spirit will allow me to do so in such a manner that it is edifying.

My question in this, as in all passages containing promises from God, “Do we believe it?”  I do not mean superficially believe it or give it mental assent but do we so fully believe it that we willingly and with determination incorporate it into our personal paradigm of conscious thought?  Do we?

Let’s scan this briefly:

• The Eyes of the LORD.

The Psalmist declares that God is paying attention to His children with careful detail and interest.  He is watching what we do, seeing what we experience and listening to what we have to say.  The implication is that if He is watching and listening He is looking for opportunity to answer our prayers and take care of us.

Also the Psalmist states that God’s face is against those who do evil, his back is turned to them and His ear deaf to their cries (other than in repentance) and the ultimate end will be they will be cut off and left outside the family of God and the blessings and benefits afforded.

If we believe that we should virtually never grow anxious in life and should absolutely never be envious of anyone.  So, do we truly believe the declaration?

• Deliverance Is Promised.

He tells us that the Righteous cry out and God not only hears but delivers from that difficulty, trouble or problem.  He is always NEAR the broken hearted and if we are contrite (repentant and humble) He will rescue us and save us.

If we believe that why do we fret over things that come into our lives and worry about the outcome?  Therefore, I ask again “Do we truly believe the declaration?”

• Many Problems Total Deliverance and Protection.

All of us, at some time or another, have wondered why bad things happen to good people or why bad things do not always happen to bad people.  But, if we believe this declaration of Scripture the Psalmist is issuing we should be forever free of that torment.

He declares that MANY are the afflictions of the righteous.  Have you learned yet that life is filled with potholes?  He clearly states that although the righteous have problems God has not forsaken them and delivers from ALL those problems.  He further declares that God guards the bones and while this is particularly prophetic of the manner in which Jesus was dealt with at the Cross it is also a promise that God will ‘guard’ us and ‘protect’ us.  It is a beautiful picture of God’s deliverance in all aspects of life.

So, if we believe God’s Word and His Promises then let us ask the Holy Spirit to help us banish fear, frustration, fretting, and anxiety from our hearts and learn to walk in the Peace of God daily.   May God be with you as you go through your day!