Blessings to you, loved ones.  I know it might be hard to see blessing right now, but let us keep trusting in God.  Without getting into specifics of who is officially diagnosed and who isn’t, let’s just say quite a few of us are in need of prayer.  Earlier this week we put out a special request for Ruth.  She is better than she was that day but still sick.  Don was taken in to the ER on Thursday but I think he should be back home as I am writing this.  Pray for Pris and Kimi.  Pray for Edith.  I think I am getting better but the cough and breathing difficulty don’t seem to be changing much.  I did sit at my desk all day on Friday, so I’m going to try and share something with you tomorrow that’s good.

When you look around you right now, what do you see?  Friends and loved ones suffering?  Financial uncertainty?  Incompetent, corrupt government officials?  A world increasingly hostile to what you believe?  I could go on.  The list is different for each of us, yet not all that different.  Life has always been hard.  In truth it’s easier now than it has ever been, but issues of the heart don’t depend on such things.

What if we looked through different eyes?  What if we had a perspective shaped by our relationship with the Creator?  Come back with me and consider a man named David.  We’ll know him later as a great king, but this is before all of that.  At this time in his life, David might have been forgiven for having some real doubts about this Yahweh who anointed him king through the prophet Samuel.  It could have seemed like the God in whom he trusted, who was with him as he killed the giant Goliath and Israel’s armies to victory, had deserted him.

In his jealousy, King Saul has chased David out of the country.  He is now hiding out with the very enemies he fought, in the very city where Goliath came from.  He escapes with his life by pretending insanity.  Can things get any worse?

This is the context from which David writes what we have labeled Psalm 34.  There were certainly times in his life when he had more questions and we see that reflected in the psalms as well, but not this time.  Look at how he begins.

I will bless Yahweh at all times;
his praise shall be in my mouth continually.
My soul makes its boast in Yahweh;
let the humble hear and be glad.
Magnify Yahweh with me,
and let us exalt his name together.
I sought Yahweh and he answered me,
and from all my terrors he delivered me. (v. 1-4 Lexam English Bible)

Instead of lamenting all that has gone wrong, David praises Yahweh, declares His faithfulness, and urges all to live rightly before Him.  There’s even a bit of prophecy here.  Because of his relationship with his God, David does not lose heart.

I hope you’re able to join us tomorrow and be encourage.  We will use a call-in number as we did last week.  To avoid confusion, I will not go life, but I will post a video after we are finished. We talked about moving to Zoom, but I have not felt well enough to explore what it would take for us to do that effectively.