DAY 6: Nothing shall I lack

Reading: Psalm 34:1-22
‘those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.’ v10

 I will extol the Lord at all times;
    his praise will always be on my lips.
I will glory in the Lord;
    let the afflicted hear and rejoice.
Glorify the Lord with me;
    let us exalt his name together.

 I sought the Lord, and he answered me;
    he delivered me from all my fears.
Those who look to him are radiant;
    their faces are never covered with shame.
This poor man called, and the Lord heard him;
    he saved him out of all his troubles.
The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him,
    and he delivers them.

 Taste and see that the Lord is good;
    blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.
Fear the Lord, you his holy people,
    for those who fear him lack nothing.
The lions may grow weak and hungry,
    but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.
Come, my children, listen to me;
    I will teach you the fear of the Lord.
Whoever of you loves life
    and desires to see many good days,
keep your tongue from evil
    and your lips from telling lies.
Turn from evil and do good;
    seek peace and pursue it.

 The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,
    and his ears are attentive to their cry;
but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil,
    to blot out their name from the earth.

 The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them;
    he delivers them from all their troubles.
The Lord is close to the brokenhearted
    and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

 The righteous person may have many troubles,
    but the Lord delivers him from them all;
he protects all his bones,
    not one of them will be broken.

 Evil will slay the wicked;
    the foes of the righteous will be condemned.
The Lord will rescue his servants;
    no one who takes refuge in him will be condemned.

 We are beginning to see a pattern emerge from our readings. We
are children of our heavenly Father, who is a caring God who provides
for His children. He calls us to seek His will. As we do so then other
aspects of discipleship fall into place. It won’t be easy. It is only as
we experience the testing that we learn to trust God and seek His face.
Such trust is rewarded by God, who is faithful towards his people.
The young lions suffer want and hunger. Perhaps this is because they
are wilful and wander off, rather than using the wisdom of their elders?
As we grow in our faith, so we become more aware of the abundant
provision of God, sufficient for our needs. The promise of God is that
we will lack no good thing. He doesn’t promise that we will all be
millionaires. Would you want that responsibility?
The Psalm is about our daily walk with God. Starting with our daily
worship of God, as we give ourselves to Him, so we become more like
our heavenly Father. As we are shaped by Him so we will not only
learn to trust Him for each day, but we will become mindful of those
around us and reach out to them.

 For Further Reading: Jeremiah 39 - Jeremiah's trust rewarded (especially v17-18).
To Ponder: What holds you back from trusting God for your daily provision?
To Pray: Heavenly Father, help me this day to trust you more, to be
shaped by you and aware of those around me who are in need.
Amen.

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