Closer Day 5 | Psalm 34:11-22
Read: Psalm 34:11-22
11 Come, O children, listen to me;
I will teach you the fear of the Lord.
12 What man is there who desires life
and loves many days, that he may see good?
13 Keep your tongue from evil
and your lips from speaking deceit.
14 Turn away from evil and do good;
seek peace and pursue it.
15 The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous
and his ears toward 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 When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears
and delivers them out of all their troubles.
18 The Lord is near to the brokenhearted
and saves the crushed in spirit.
19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous,
but the Lord delivers him out of them all.
20 He keeps all his bones;
not one of them is broken.
21 Affliction will slay the wicked,
and those who hate the righteous will be condemned.
22 The Lord redeems the life of his servants;
none of those who take refuge in him will be condemned.
Reflect:
We begin this second half of the psalm with David giving us clear instructions on how to reverence the Lord correctly. Keep your tongue from evil. Oh, I wish it was as simple as saying that! We know from chapter 3 of the Book of James that the tongue is powerful and can cause so much damage if not ruled correctly. I think this is why he starts here. We have to give the Lord power over our words and our actions. We are to turn away from evil. We aren’t just to see it and not engage, but we are to actively turn our backs on it. If our words and actions would unite and turn from evil, our lives would be turning towards the things of God. David even tells us to do good, seek peace, and pursue it. When we seek something, we put effort into it. It is a combination of our minds and movement. This is who we are to be as God’s people – peacemakers. In Matthew 5:9, Jesus says that the peacemakers will be called children of God.
I don’t want us to mistake the idea that by resisting evil, doing good, and seeking peace, that our lives will be without difficulty. The rest of this psalm is filled with language around the righteous crying out and the Lord delivering people from their troubles. Even Jesus said that in this world we will have trouble but that we can be encouraged and at peace because He has overcome the world (John 16:33). We see in Psalm 34:18 that the Lord is near to the brokenhearted and the crushed in spirit. This tells us that even as the world feels like it is falling down around us, we can know, without a shadow of a doubt, that the Lord is going to be a place of refuge for us. If you are in a place of difficulty or struggle today, know that you are not there alone. The Lord is with you; He is, even now, in the process of redeeming your life. Run to Him.
Prayer:
Lord, I want to flee from evil. If there are places in my life where I am choosing evil, please help me see them clearly and have the strength to rest through the Holy Spirit. Lord, I want my tongue to speak the things of You and not of the evil one. Lord, I want to be someone who brings peace into the lives of others. I can only do these things through the power of Your Holy Spirit. Please fill me to overflow, guide me, and show me how to walk in a way that pleases You. Lord, I know that You are with me even in my suffering and brokenness. Please help me to rest in You, knowing that You are my refuge and strength, a very present help in all my troubles. Thank you that I am not alone.
This devotional is part of our Closer: 21 Days of Prayer and Fasting. Our hope is that this will assist you in focusing your heart each day. To learn more or to get caught up, click here.