I sought the Lord, and He answered me and delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to Him are radiant with joy; their faces will never be ashamed. This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him and saved him from all his troubles. The Angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him, and rescues them. (Psalm 34:4-7 — Holman Christian Standard Bible)
(My father, Forrest, wrote this first paragraph just after my mother had been moved from the ICU at Beth Israel Hospital in Lower Manhattan back in the late 1980s after a brain hemorrhage.)
As I write these comments, I can testify that this scripture is true. David the king wrote these words and found them to be true about 3,000 years ago. I have found them to be true today, and through the experiences of the last three weeks. I sought the Lord and He answered me; He delivered me from fear and put courage in my heart. In a time of great trouble, He put songs in my heart and radiance upon my face. I have seen God's deliverance — “The valley of the shadow of death” is behind us now — and we are looking forward to His complete deliverance. Yes, God's angels encamp around us to protect and deliver us in times of trouble.
“He answered me” is a classic statement of praise throughout the Book of Psalms. David could boast about how God had responded to his cries for help, a type of worship which is much more meaningful than simple songs and hallelujahs. King David went through many times like this, and became such a great leader because every time we are delivered after crying out to, and trusting in God, we learn more than if we had studied the Bible for years. Real understanding of God’s Word comes through practice, and real praise comes through living out our faith.
People who look to God as David did are transformed. “They are radiant with joy, their faces will never be ashamed” — this sounds very similar to what happened to Moses on Mount Sinai when he came back down the mountain with a face glowing with the glory of God’s presence. When we look to Him, we cannot help but be filled with joy; we cannot help but refuse to be ashamed. So many people today have no joy, or a very fragile joy, and this is simply an indication of how far they are from God, and how they fail to look to Him in times of trouble.
If the Lord is encamping around us, we have nothing to fear and every reason to be filled with joy. — We need to practice this!
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