Radiant Face

DEVOTION

PSALMS

RADIANT FACE

 Ps 34:1-10

I will extol the LORD at all times; his praise will always be on my lips. 2 My soul will boast in the LORD; let the afflicted hear and rejoice. 3 Glorify the LORD with me; let us exalt his name together. 4 I sought the LORD, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears. 5 Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame. 6 This poor man called, and the LORD heard him; he saved him out of all his troubles. 7 The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them. 8 Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him. 9 Fear the LORD, you his saints, for those who fear him lack nothing. 10 The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.

NIV

So many truths within this psalm we could almost take one line at a time and spend a day on it. Let us consider that we too should extol the Lord at all times. The word extol does not truly represent the Hebrew word as best as it could. Most other translations use the word bless, I will bless the Lord at all times. But the Hebrew also carries the meaning of I will knee to the Lord at all times. I will bow to the Lord at all times. This means we consider ourselves less then the Lord, he is our God! We have to understand we do not incorporate God into our lives, he is our life, we knee before him. We submit to him. His praise will always be, not some of the times, but all of the times on our lips. This has to imply that it does not matter what is going on in our life, we will always praise God. We will praise him in the morning, we will praise him in the evening, and we will praise him all the day long. Whether we are well or not so well, we will praise him. Whether we have plenty or are in want, we will praise him. Whether we are in good times or bad times, we will praise him. It does not matter the situation of our life, he is always worthy of praise and our lips will do that praising. We will live our praise, our faith, out loud. We will not remain silent. We have already seen being silent makes our bones wax old, in pain. So we will live our faith, our praise out loud, our lips will bless the Lord, our soul will rejoice out loud. Let those who are afflicted, those who suffer from the wages of sin, hear our praise and rejoice. Let them find the Lord and receive the forgiveness we have and rejoice. We can ask them to glorify the Lord with us, to exalt, to bow to his name together. When we sought the Lord, when anyone seeks the Lord, he answers. He does not turn a deaf ear, he hears us. He hears the seeking of the sinner, the cry of the sinner for forgiveness, the cry of repentance. He delivers us from all our fears. First of the fear of death, but then also all the fears of life. There is nothing in this life we should fear, for God is with us and if he is with us, who can stand against us. We can overcome all things, we can do all things through Christ Jesus who gives us strength. We do no need to fear, to cower in the corner, to be silent about our beliefs, to worry about any reprisals for our speaking out about God. We will not fear. Because of our faith, because of our bowing before him, exalting him, always praising him, always living rejoicing in our soul, always being without fear, our face will be radiant. We will never be put to shame. Our face will reflect the radiance of our Lord. When we consider that word grace, and how many times it is the Greek word which means the divine influence upon our heart and how that is reflected in our lives, we have to see this same truth about our faces being radiant because we look at God. Those who look to the Lord, those who see God, have they face lightened. Whenever we call upon the Lord he is there to save us from all our troubles. This may not always mean he takes us out of the trouble or takes the trouble away, but we will have peace and contentment, and security within the trouble, we will continue to trust him, never losing hope throughout any situation in life. We have the angel of the Lord encamped around us, we have the Holy Spirit dwelling within us, we are safe and secure from all alarm. We merely have to taste the Lord, and we will know he is good. Taste, perceive the Lord and see he is good. Understand the Lord, and we will know he is good. We are blessed because we have tasted the Lord and know we can take our refuge in him. Because we put all our trust in him, because we look to him for everything in life, we will lack nothing. The lions, the unsaved will grow weak and hungry, they live without hope, without freedom from fear, anxiety, tension and unrest. They live without God at their side. But we seek the Lord and as a result we lack no good thing. Our face is radiant.