I Will Bless the Lord at All Times

In one paragraph

Pastor Carl opened Psalm 34 and traced the strange circumstances behind it: David, fleeing Saul, hiding among the Philistines, faking madness to escape, and then writing a song of praise. The sermon followed the Psalm verse by verse, holding David's desperate situation alongside the steadiness of his trust in God. The heading of Psalm 34 names the occasion: David feigned madness before Abimelech,...

Read together

1. Psalm 34 primary text of the sermon, read and expounded throughout
2. 1 Samuel 21 context for David feigning madness before Achish king of Gath
3. Ephesians 5:19-20 speaking to one another in psalms, hymns and spiritual songs, always giving thanks
4. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 in everything give thanks, this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus
5. 1 Corinthians 1:31 let him who boasts, boast in the Lord
6. Jeremiah 9:24 let him who boasts boast that he understands and knows God
7. Jeremiah 29:1-14 God tells the exiles they will be in Babylon a long time but He knows the plans He has for them
8. Psalm 9:10 those who know Your name will put their trust in You, You have not forsaken those who seek You
9. Philippians 4:11-13 Paul says he has learned to be content in all circumstances and can do all things through Christ who strengthens him
10. Matthew 6:33 seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added unto you
11. Matthew 5:3-4 blessed are the poor in spirit, blessed are those who mourn for they shall be comforted
12. Philippians 4:6-7 benediction, be anxious for nothing but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God

Talk about it

1. David wrote Psalm 34 right after he faked madness to escape from his enemies. What does it tell you about him that his first response to getting out of that situation was to bless God rather than to just move on?
2. The sermon pointed out that David's praise was not private. He started with 'I will bless the Lord' and moved to inviting others to 'magnify the Lord with me.' How does hearing someone else speak openly about what God has done for them affect your own faith when you are going through a hard time?
3. Pastor Carl read Psalm 34 and the sermon connected it to Jeremiah 29, where God tells the exiles to settle in, put down roots, and pray for the place they did not want to be. Has there been a season in your life where God seemed to be saying something similar to you? What was that like?
4. The sermon said 'not everything that happens is good, but everything that happens can be used for good' and pointed to the line 'in everything give thanks' as one of the clearest statements of God's will in Scripture. Where do you find that hardest to believe or to practice right now?
5. The closing verses of Psalm 34 draw a sharp line between those who take refuge in God and those who do not. The sermon described this as the whole Psalm moving from one person's cry to an open invitation for anyone to cross from one side to the other. Who in your life comes to mind when you think about that invitation, and what might it look like to share your own story with them?