Tag: prayer

Praying When God Seems Distant

On By Jason SmithIn Devotional3 Comments 
“Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.” (Romans 12:12, ESV)

For many people, the only prayer they practice is a kind of formal, perfunctory prayer that is done at family gatherings. Such people struggle with prayer because they’ve never viewed prayer as an intimate conversation with God. Jesus warned us not to be like religious hypocrites who use prayer as a chance to win the admiration of others (Matthew 6:5). At its heart, prayer is about experiencing relational nearness to our Lord and Shepherd.

Prayer Is Essential

The number one reason so many Christians lack spiritual vitality in their life is because of neglect of private prayer. “On the day I called, you answered me; my strength of soul you increased” (Psalm 138:3).

It’s fascinating to study the accounts of great men and women throughout history and how consistently each one of them was a person of fervent and consistent prayer.

George Muller, who helped care for more than 10,000 orphans in England and provided education for more than 120,000 children had a daily habit of beginning each day with several hours of prayer. Charles Simeon rose at 4 am every day, so he could spend the first four hours in prayer. Susannah Wesley, the busy mother of 19 children, would sit in a rocking chair with an apron over her head praying passionately for her children. And her prayers were no doubt effective, because two of her sons Charles and John went on to make a tremendous difference for Christ.

Now, on the one hand, it’s inspiring to hear such stories. But if we’re honest, we can also feel a little guilty that we devote so little time to prayer. Such stories might inspire us while simultaneously making us feel like spiritual failures.

But what if we began small? What if we committed to set aside only ten minutes per day to nothing but sitting in the presence of God, opening up our hearts, communing with our Lord, and interceding on behalf of others?

Zondervan conducted a survey of 678 respondents about prayer, and only 23 felt satisfied with the time they were spending in prayer. In his book, Prayer, Philip Yancey recounts some of the struggles he has had with praying to an invisible God. He writes, “In theory prayer is the essential human act, a priceless point of contact with the God of the universe. In practice prayer is often confusing and fraught with frustration.”

We pray because prayer speaks to a universal human need. We are dependent creatures. We were not made for life without God. As Thomas Merton put it, “Prayer is an expression of who we are… We are a living incompleteness. We are a gap, an emptiness that calls for fulfillment.”

If you don’t know how to pray, our Lord Jesus tells us to begin with acknowledging who God is and what He calls us to be (Matthew 6:9-13). In fact, while many view prayer primarily as a way to get things from God, prayer should be first and foremost about intimacy with God.

Why Does God Sometimes Seem Distant?

And for us to have an intimate relationship with God, we need to acknowledge the ways we have turned away from God and repent. Through the prophet Isaiah, God even tells the nation of Israel that because of their national sins, God has turned away from hearing their prayers.

“When you spread out your hands in prayer,
    I hide my eyes from you;
even when you offer many prayers,
    I am not listening.
Your hands are full of blood!
Wash and make yourselves clean.
    Take your evil deeds out of my sight;
    stop doing wrong.
Learn to do right; seek justice.
    Defend the oppressed.
Take up the cause of the fatherless;
    plead the case of the widow.” (Isaiah 1:15-17, NIV)

The way back to God begins with owning our sin and repenting. That’s a sobering warning. God does not tolerate sin in the midst of His people. He says, “You’re lifting up hands in prayer, but those hands are covered in the blood of the innocent. You’re crying out for Me to listen to you, but you haven’t listened to those most hurting around you.”

This is a warning for all of us. Are we treating others fairly? Are we staying faithful to our marriage vows? Are we treating those who look and think differently from us the same way we treat those who look and think like us? Are we sharing food with the hungry? Are we showing compassion for both the preborn baby in the womb, and also for the unwed mother who feels abandoned and alone? Are we acknowledging the sin in our past, repenting toward God, and seeking the forgiveness that is offered through the finished work of Jesus alone?

Sin is not the only reason God can seem absent in prayer. Even spiritual giants such as King David, Asaph, Ethan the Ezrahite, and the prophet Habakkuk lamented times when God seemed distant (Psalm 13:1; 80:4; 89:46; Habakkuk 1:2). Scripture would urge us to not give up in prayer even when God feels far away. It’s often during the “dark night of the soul,” as John of the Cross put it, that God is doing His deepest work in our souls.

But whatever you do, don’t give up! The Holy Spirit will help us to pray even when we have no idea what to say in prayer (Romans 8:26).

“Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.” (Romans 12:12, ESV)

Praying to a Loving Father

If God were a cold and aloof deity, we could hardly bear the thought of praying to Him, considering how we have all failed Him. But here’s why Jesus taught us to begin by addressing God as “Our Father in heaven” (Matthew 6:9). Think of how a good father will do anything to protect and provide for his children. Consider how quickly a good father is willing to lift his little child in his arms and hold them close to his chest, even after that child has rebelled countless times.

“As a father shows compassion to his children,
    so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him.” (Psalm 103:13, ESV)

This is why Jesus said God is “our Father.” He loves His children beyond words. In one sense our unrepentant sin is indeed the obstacle to intimacy with God. On the other hand, the primary hindrance to prayer is a failure to see God as a Father who loves us with an unshakable and undying love and is eager to forgive His repentant children. Not only that, but God even delights in you!

If we begin here, knowing that our God is a loving and compassionate Father who willingly takes back the prodigal son or daughter and showers him or her with kisses, we will be willing to repent and ask for forgiveness for the wrongs we have done. In prayer, we approach the Father through the Son, who fully paid for all our sin on the cross. That is why the Book of Hebrews says we can boldly approach the throne of grace, knowing that He is a Father who loves us dearly (Hebrews 4:16).

Have thoughts on this post? I’d love to hear from you!

Begin with God

On By Jason SmithIn Devotional2 Comments

What we prioritize determines the course of our lives.

There’s a simple law of reality that says, “If you don’t set your priorities, someone else will set them for you.” In fact, more often than not, the world will set your priorities. Busyness will set your priorities for you. Your long list of “To Dos” will set your priorities. But God wants us to begin with Him. He doesn’t want us to try and squeeze Him into our busy schedule; He wants to be involved with every aspect of life.

Jesus gave us a really helpful perspective for setting priorities: “Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things [the basic necessities of life] will be added to you.”[1] For Jesus, the number one priority in life was the Kingdom of God. He didn’t drift through life passively. He began each day intentionally. “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.”[2]

Jesus lived with the Kingdom in mind. He said His food was to do the will of God, His Father.

And that’s where Jesus would have us begin, too.

We tend to say things like, “There aren’t enough hours in the day to get everything done.” But actually, there are exactly the right number of hours in a day. God ordained from all eternity that there would be 24 hours in a day. No more, no less. And it falls to each of us to determine how we will use those precious hours.

We say, “My days have been really full lately.” I think I said that to someone recently. But the truth is, every day is filled with something. It could be filled with working nonstop. It could be filled with chasing the next thrill. It could be filled with binging on Netflix with a bowl of popcorn on the easy chair. But every day is filled with something.

“Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.” (Ephesians 5:16, ESV)

Now, in one sense, we have zero control over unexpected events in life. But in another sense, we are the ones that get to set our own priorities. God gives us agency.

“So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.” (Psalm 90:12, ESV)

These lives are finite. Live in light of eternity. Fill every day with what matters most. Begin with God.

Have thoughts on this post? I’d love to hear from you!

[1] Matthew 6:33, ESV

[2] Mark 1:35, NIV

Praying Like Elijah

On By Jason SmithIn Devotional, Theology for Life3 Comments 
“For truly I tell you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will tell this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” (Matthew 17:20, CSB)

Prayer is powerful. I don’t say that to be cliché; I say that because Jesus taught us this. Time and time again, He called us to pray boldly and passionately in His Name.

I also cannot deny the ways my wife Whitney and I have been wowed by God’s grace and perfect timing in answering our prayers in incredibly specific ways. There are too many to count but let me just give a few examples.

Before we met, my wife Whitney prayed for the wisdom to find the right man to marry and that this fellow would arrive at her church’s college group with several others so that she wouldn’t know immediately who that man would be. A short time later, I visited that college group with a handful of others, because I was invited by the pastor who led that group while I was working at Applebee’s. The rest, as they say, is history.

Another time, I was in a Bible study, and one man shared that his very young grandson had a brain tumor the size of a golf ball. For several weeks in a row, we prayed for healing each time we met. One morning, he came to our study with amazing news. The tumor had not only shrunk—it was completely gone. Not a trace of it. In fact, I know of numerous cases where someone plagued with life-threatening cancer has been totally healed. Just yesterday, I heard of another answer to prayer of a dear woman who received the glorious news that the latest scan revealed she is cancer free.

I can think of another time when Whitney and I were raising money for a short-term mission trip to Guatemala, and we were a little short on the green stuff. We prayed passionately and specifically that God would supply the money we needed for the trip in whatever way He saw fit. He came through in various ways to provide us with exactly what we needed. I remember my heart swelling with joy as I thought about how God had so lovingly answered our sincere requests so that we could go on this mission trip together as a young married couple before we had any kids.

These are just the tip of the iceberg. I really could go on and on with examples of how God has provided answers to prayers—often in ways we never saw coming.

As these come to mind, I sometimes wonder why I don’t pray more often or more passionately. It’s not as though God has ignored me in the past. Lately, He’s been really challenging me to lead from deep, heartfelt prayer, as opposed to only praying with passion when something goes wrong. The Lord wants me to admit my shortcomings and acknowledge my great need for His power in every aspect of my life.

Jonathan Edwards said that when we ignore prayer, we “live like atheists or like brute creatures,” and “live as if there were no God.” Why would we ignore our direct line to the One who reigns over all?

If anything is worth doing, it must come by God’s power, not my own strength. Therefore, I need to be drawing power from the Lord in everything I do if I want to have an eternal impact. The Bible reminds us, “The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working” (James 5:16, ESV). Our prayers have “great power” because they are directed to a God who is known for doing what is humanly impossible (Luke 1:37).

I’m reminded of the story of Elijah. He prayed fervently for God to send the rain when Israel was enduring a drought while the wicked King Ahab was on the throne. In 1 Kings 18, we read:

And Elijah went up to the top of Mount Carmel. And he bowed himself down on the earth and put his face between his knees. And he said to his servant, “Go up now, look toward the sea.” And he went up and looked and said, “There is nothing.” And he said, “Go again,” seven times. And at the seventh time he said, “Behold, a little cloud like a man's hand is rising from the sea.” And he said, “Go up, say to Ahab, ‘Prepare your chariot and go down, lest the rain stop you.’” (1 Kings 18:42-44, ESV)

Elijah didn’t just pray once, see there was nothing, and then give up. No, the text emphasizes how he prayed fervently seven more times for the rainclouds to show up. He understood that God wants us to pray with passion, expectancy, and repetition. At the very first tiny sign that God had answered his prayers (after all, a hand-sized cloud seems like a bit of a letdown), Elijah confidently sent word to Ahab, “Get in your buggy and go, because the rain is a-comin’!” God answered his prayers in such a way that no one in Israel could chalk up the sudden change in weather to mere happenstance.

Imagine an Israelite saying, “Finally! We’re getting rain after three-and-a-half years. How lucky are we!”

Elijah’s prayers made the difference.

Through this prophet’s prayers, God turned the rain off and then back on 42 months later, raised a widow’s son to life, and shot down fire to engulf a thrice-soaked altar to vindicate Elijah’s claims about Yahweh, not Baal, being the one true God of the world. Clearly, we’re meant to see that Elijah’s prayers were powerful. God can change the weather conditions whenever and however He wants. He’s sovereign over this world. But, as in our lives, He chose to change the circumstances in response to the prayer of one of His faithful followers.

When we read about Elijah’s ministry, we are rightly in awe of how the Lord worked through him. However, before we lionize Elijah as a biblical superhero and assume we could never pray like him or see God work wonders before our eyes, we should consider what James says about this.

“Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit.” (James 5:17-18, ESV)

James is reminding us that the situation is not so different for us today. At the end of the day, Elijah was just a man; he had a nature like ours. And God Himself hasn’t changed, because He never changes (Malachi 3:6). If Elijah prayed to the same God we pray to today, why should we expect our prayers to be less effective? The whole reason James brings up Elijah as an example is to say, “You too can pray with power.”

So go to the Lord today and pray with passion, boldness, and expectancy like Elijah did. There is no telling what massive changes God will bring about through your prayers. After all, “Elijah was a man with a nature like ours.”

I pray this encourages you. If you have any thoughts or questions about this, I would love to hear from you!

The Right Time to Pray Is Now

On By Jason SmithIn Devotional1 Comment

Our world tends to think of prayer as the last resort. We go to prayer when we are desperate. It’s amazing how tragedies drive even the most irreligious to prayer.

For instance, after the tragic school shootings in Newtown, Connecticut, in 2012, everyone from politicians to news anchors to celebrities all said, “Pray for Newton.” When a co-worker or friend gets diagnosed with cancer or tragedy strikes, even secular people will start talking about the need to pray.

Don’t get me wrong. It’s right to pray when things get rough—I believe our innate sense of God tells us that sometimes prayer is our only hope. And I’m thankful that there are still times when our national leaders will direct people to pray. But let’s remember that prayer is not the last resort. It’s not the thing we only turn to when all other resources are spent. Prayer is something we want to be doing all the time. Why? Because there is never a time in life when you don’t  need God. Prayer is our lifeline to Him. The Apostle Paul urged the churches to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17).

What does that mean? It means we never hang up the phone with God. This doesn’t mean we are literally praying out loud or even in our heart every waking moment. But it means our whole life should be based in prayer. We are encouraged to take everything to Him. Take your decisions in life to God. Talk to Him about even the little things in life. Tell Him how you’re feeling about your circumstances.

And this is the glorious thing: an infinite God never runs out of time for you. As our perfect Father, He is eternally available to His children.

This is what makes Him so incredible. He never tires of hearing from you! So, share your heart with Him.

The right time to pray is always NOW.

Sanctified through Prayer

“Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed.” (James 5:16, ESV)

God cares about your holiness. He wants you to live in accord with His Word. The moment you trusted in Jesus Christ as Savior, you became God’s child and were made secure in His hands. God’s wrath is no longer hanging over you because your sins are under the blood of the Lamb. That being said, there are still times you have to face consequences for your sin in this life. Scripture tells us: “God cannot be mocked. Whatever you sow, you will also reap” (Galatians 6:7).

Because God is a loving Father, there are times when He won’t respond to our petitions, simply because we are living in unrepentant sin. It’s a form of discipline, not unlike times that I send my son to his room because he’s disobeyed. But the goal is always restoration.

“For the Lord disciplines the one he loves,
    and chastises every son whom he receives.” (Hebrews 12:6, ESV)

That’s why it’s so important that we be willing to confess our sins to each other, too. God wants His church to live free from the entanglement of sin. We can know that grace and forgiveness will flow freely when we admit to one another where we are struggling. In fact, the deepest relationships can happen in a church where people feel the freedom to talk about their battles and can ask for prayer in areas of personal hurt.

It’s only our own pride that gets in the way of freely sharing struggles. But remember, no one is immune to the effects of a fallen world!

A Daring Prayer

You know what a daring prayer looks like? It sounds like this:

“Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” (Psalm 139:23-24, NIV)

Search me, God. Uncover what I’m trying to cover. Show me where I’ve gone wrong, and then bring me back to the way of righteousness and holiness, so that I may walk closer to You.

Something that God has been teaching me is that when I pray, the most important thing I need to do is bring my true self before Him. He doesn’t want us to put up a front or think of prayer as some kind of performance. He just wants us to be real with Him.

This is why the gospel is essential to a vibrant prayer life. If we know deep in our heart that God is absolutely for us in Christ and that He has wrapped His robe of righteousness around us, we will be able to freely confess sin. He doesn’t want us to reduce prayer to a charade.

It’s no different with human relationships. Obviously, if you only have a conversation with someone once or twice a year, you’re not going to feel very close to them. Even if you see someone regularly, but conversations never go deeper than the weather or the latest sports scores, you won’t truly know them.

On the other hand, the person with whom you freely share your convictions, express your deepest struggles, and speak with raw honesty is likely your best friend. Why? Because you haven’t brought a fake version of yourself. You’ve been absolutely real with them.

That’s what it means to bring your true self before God. It means being utterly truthful with Him and asking for His cleansing power to renew you. And remember, God already knows all about your dirty laundry. The purpose isn’t to inform Him; it’s to relate to Him.

And when we are “confessed up”, first and foremost to God, but also to one another, we can know that our prayers will be powerful.

“The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” (James 5:16b, NIV)

Righteous and God-honoring prayer is effective. It’s powerful. Prayer accomplishes things. It changes the story. It unleashes God’s powerful work in the world as few things can. God is sovereign over all things. He certainly doesn’t need us and didn’t have to set things up this way. But He has chosen to accomplish His will through the prayers of the saints (and by saint I mean “believer in Christ”).

Maybe you haven’t thought of prayer like this before. But as a Christian, know that you have an unlimited supply of spiritual dynamite at your disposal. It can blow away the biggest worries, the most fearsome disasters, and the toughest obstacles. The prayer of the righteous is powerful! You may feel most powerful when you are standing tall, but you are actually most effective when you are on your knees, because that’s when you’re tapping into God’s power.

Praying to God in Secret

On By Jason SmithIn DevotionalLeave a comment

By Jason Smith

“But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” (Matthew 6:6, ESV)

Maybe you’re a bit like me and you can very easily get caught up in all the “to-do” lists that fill your life. Perhaps you just thought of something you need to get done today or later this week. Life can feel very burdensome when it amounts to finishing one more task after another.

A man named Charles Hummel wrote a little book called Tyranny of the Urgent a while back about time management. The most famous line from that book is this: “Your greatest danger is letting the urgent things crowd out the important.” That’s good practical wisdom. Don’t let the urgent tasks – perhaps the things that cause us the most stress and anxiety – rule your life. Because when you are always hustling from one thing to the next, you’ll inevitably miss out on the most important things in life.

It’s also possible that you feel like you never get to your “to do” list. Maybe there’s just too much, and you’re overwhelmed. Or you’re simply not able to get to it right now. But somehow, that list still hangs over your head like a two-ton weight. You can feel like your mind is always racing ten steps ahead of you.

When we let ourselves live life according to the “tyranny of the urgent,” we are always in motion, always on the go. In a sense, we are living life in fast-forward, and we forget to ever press the pause button. But we need to press pause, and God often has to remind us of this fact.

“Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted on the earth.” (Psalm 46:10, NIV)

Like the psalmist in Psalm 46, we can often feel like we need to stay on the hamster treadmill or else something will go radically wrong. But he realizes that to think in this way is to forget that our sovereign God is in full control. In other words, don’t try to be God. Only He has full control over your situation. Don’t imagine that everything depends on you. You were never meant to bear that burden. So, the Lord tells us, “Be still, and know that I am God.”

It is for this same reason that Jesus encouraged us to pray to God in secret. Why in secret? Because if you only ever pray when others are around, you’re bound to turn prayer into yet one more performance. Prayer will be distorted into a show of spiritual one-upmanship, rather than about your dependence on the living God.

“And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” (Matthew 6:5-6, ESV)

Jesus urges us to shut the door on all distractions from the outside world. Go to your Father in secret. Make yourself totally aware of His presence. His love. His majesty. His mercy. His holiness. Reflect on all the good things He’s done in your life and all the difficult times He’s brought you through. That’s when your prayers won’t be tainted with hypocrisy, because it will be just about your intimacy with God Himself.

Keep in mind, the to-do lists will always be there. You never actually finish them. There will always be one more text or email to which you need to respond, and always one more household chore or project that needs to be completed. But don’t let the urgent crowd out the important. You were made for far more than rushing from one task to the next. Instead, set aside time to just delight yourself in the Lord and His sovereign rule over all.

It may not always be a long period of time. Take whatever time you can get. But take Jesus’s words seriously. Find a time to shut the door and be alone with your Father. When you do that, you’ll be able to approach those urgent matters with greater clarity, perspective, and peace.

Take time today to press pause.

*Photo courtesy of Boundless

God Will See Us Through

On By Jason SmithIn DevotionalLeave a comment

By Jason Smith

“The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.” (Psalm 34:18)

These are tumultuous times. Many are facing job loss or financial difficulties. Weddings and other pivotal gatherings and events have been canceled. Countless are confused, angry, and anxious about the future.

The number of confirmed cases of Coronavirus across the globe just passed 395,000 as I write this, with 17,252 deaths worldwide. The constant refrain in the news seems to be: “The world is a mess!” The ground beneath our feet seems to be cracking and crumbling. So, what can be done about this growing uncertainty?

Now, more than ever, we as a people need to turn to God’s written revelation. The Bible was given to us for all times, and especially for times like this. We need to know that God has not left us alone during this crisis.

When we face unprecedented challenges, we must see God reaching out to us in love. In fact, God gave us a psalm to address unsettled hearts in times of crisis.

Psalm 34 begins with the author David committing in his heart to praise the God over all in every circumstance: “I will bless the LORD at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth” (v. 1). God’s honor is not an afterthought for David. It isn’t an “if time allows” item on the agenda. He understands that the right response to crises is to worship the Lord who made us. But why?

Worshiping God: The Real Solution to Times of Crisis

Because we were designed for worship of our Creator, our hearts are most settled and at peace when we are reverently adoring Him for the God He is. When we can worship God in a crisis, we can know that we truly do love Him, not merely the blessings He bestows on us.

Job is known as the righteous sufferer of the Old Testament. Probably only a handful of people have faced more trials than him. He lost nearly all his livestock and possessions to thieves and a wildfire (1:14-17). His children died when a whirlwind caused the house they were in to collapse on them (1:18-19). Then, painful, puss-filled boils covered his entire skin (7:5; 30:17). His wife told him to blaspheme God and find a hole to die in (Job 2:9). And, lastly, his closest friends seemed to think he must have sinned horribly (8:2-7). Oh, and on top of everything else, did I mention he also had a severe case of halitosis – bad breath (19:17)? All this, despite the fact that Job “was blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil” (Job 1:1).

So, what was Job’s response to this horrendous anguish he faced? He shaved his head, fell to his knees, and worshiped God. Yes, you read that correctly. Job cried out, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD” (v. 21). This likely seems strange to many readers. Shame, misery, and grief lead him into a worship session? What’s going on here?

Job understood something we often miss. The book’s author tells us what that was at the very beginning: Job feared God (v. 1). Because Job feared God, he understood that He was the Author of life, the only One deserving worship, and the only One we should rely on during times of upheaval. When everything in our lives seems disrupted, we need to rely on the Rock who does not change. “For He is the living God and He endures forever” (Daniel 6:26).

A host of solutions have been proposed in dealing with the current crisis. Some of these are good, but many may not be. Ultimately, they are not the decisive measures that can calm our hearts. Only turning in heart-filled worship to the “Father of mercies and God of all comfort” will give us the supernatural peace we’re all craving right now (2 Corinthians 1:3). “Taste and see that the LORD is good!” (Psalm 34:8).

God Hears Our Prayers and Sends His Angels

Listen to what David said: “I sought the LORD, and He answered me and delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to Him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed” (Psalm 34:4-5). When all is said and done, the question will not be: Did we survive the pandemic? Ultimately, no one gets out of this life alive! The question, rather, will be: In the midst of the pandemic, where did we turn for security? I don’t know about you, but I want to be included among those whom David describes as “radiant” and full of God’s love and peace, not dreading each day with fists clenched tightly.

I love what David says next, because it fits with the financial uncertainty we’re facing: “This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him and saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear Him, and delivers them” (vv. 6-7).

Our tendency in economically volatile times is to look down at our assets, accounts, and accruals. God says, “Lift your eyes up here. My angel will bring perfect peace to you who fix your eyes on Me.” Then David says something that could be baffling: “Oh, fear the LORD, you His saints, for those who fear Him have no lack! The young lions suffer want and hunger; but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing” (vv. 9-10).

What exactly is this psalm promising us? This isn’t a blank check promise that as long as you ask God, you’ll always get what you want. No, it’s meant to be a statement of assurance to those who feel deprived of what they normally can count on. Come what may, for those who seek the Lord, they will find true contentment in Him. They will “lack no good thing” (v. 10).

God Will See You Through to the Very End

“The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit” (v. 18). This is the statement Psalm 34 seems to be building toward. It calls us to worship the Lord (v. 1). It assures that He hears our every prayer (v. 17). Then, it tells us what we most need to hear: God hasn’t forgotten about you in the midst of this crisis (v. 18). He is so close, in fact, that you can feel his presence right there with you when you quiet your heart.

Elizabeth Elliot, who experienced deep suffering and loss in her life, wrote, “When our souls lie barren in a winter which seems hopeless and endless, God has not abandoned us. His work goes on. He asks our acceptance of the painful process and our trust that He will indeed give resurrection life.”[1]

Psalm 34 ends with a warning and a promise. Many will fall to affliction and cast bitter aspersions on those who seek the Lord (v. 21), but ultimately those who take refuge in the Lord will find ultimate salvation with Him (v. 22). No matter what crises or afflictions come our way in this life, we can be sure that those who trust in the resurrected Lord, Jesus Christ, will also be granted a resurrected life where death is but a distant memory.

If you know your destination, you won’t be lost on the journey. He will see you through to the very end.

[1] Elizabeth Elliot, A Path Through Suffering (Ann Arbor, MI: Servant Publications, 1990), 43.