One of my favorite Psalms is Psalm 34. I like it for what is said and I like it for what context it was written in. Read 1st Samuel 21 for the full story.

By the time we get to the writing of Psalm 34, David can no longer be seen with his best friend. His boss, King Saul, has tried to harm him when he finishes playing music and now David has to escape. The very place he ends up hiding is in Gath (Philistine country).

David is pretty popular in Palestine for the wrong reasons. David killed Goliath the Philistine hero. David has to pretend he is crazy in order to get away from the angry people of Gath.

David is without friends, without work, in enemy territory, and hiding in a cave when these words are written. If David can bless the Lord during these rough times, then maybe I can as well.

David proclaims what God has done for him. Why? Because David depends on God for everything that he has. David says he will bless the Lord at all times, and he proves it with the writing.

There is no time that it is not acceptable to praise the Lord. God is with us during the good and the bad. David is grateful because he has been saved from his fears and his foes. The same God that delivered David can deliver us as well.

As we go through the seasons of life and our situation changes, we can still bless the Lord. If we are in the palace, we can bless the Lord, if we are in the cave we can bless the Lord. If we have our friends around us, we can bless the Lord, if we have no friends around us, we can bless the Lord.

One of the reasons we can bless the Lord at all times is because we have a God that loves us and nothing can separate us from that Love.

Paul says in Romans 8:38-39 (CEB) “I’m convinced that nothing can separate us from God’s love in Christ Jesus our Lord: not death or life, not angels or rulers, not present things or future things, not powers or height or depth, or any other thing that is created.”

That is a good reason to bless the Lord.

Rev. Johnnie Simpson Jr. is Senior Pastor of Faith United Methodist Church in Dickinson, Texas outside of Houston. Johnnie and the rest of his congregation would love to have you join them if you are ever in the area.

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