Psalm 34

April 3, 2021

We’ve prayed for over a week, pleading with our God to heal our brother. He is being buried tonight. There are so many questions we have that go unanswered; why this effective pastor should be taken in the prime of his life and ministry, why he must leave behind a grieving wife and children, why the prayers of thousands of people from all over the world should be denied. The skeptic would throw this up in our faces: “There is no God, or if there is, he certainly doesn’t care for you; he won’t even answer your very reasonable prayers.” In the dark night of our souls, it is tempting to listen to those whispers of the Enemy, but they only lead to despair.

This morning’s reading was from Psalm 34. It begins, “I will bless the LORD at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth.” Before I had heard of our brother’s passing, these words spoke powerfully to me. He says, “I WILL bless the LORD at all times...” Praise and thanksgiving is a choice we make; we don’t always feel like doing so, but it is only when we choose to do it that we find strength and comfort. He says he will bless the LORD at all times, not just the good times. It is harder to do in the dark, but it is more necessary then.

He continues: “O magnify the LORD with me...” We do it better together. When something is magnified, it doesn’t get bigger; it just looks bigger. When God’s people gather to praise him, he becomes bigger in our hearts; we see him more clearly; he is magnified. When we go through dark valleys, the presence of others worshipping God can strengthen our own worship as they hold us up in prayer. Years ago when we were going through some difficult times in the church, I told our district superintendent that if he moved me like some people were urging him to do, I was done with ministry. I didn’t have the energy to start over in a new congregation, but here, though there were many difficulties, I had people who stood by me, supported me, prayed for me. They literally held me together when I was falling apart. They magnified the Lord so I could see him when my own eyes of faith were failing.

The psalm goes on to say, “They looked to him and were radiant.” No radiance comes from looking at our circumstances. There is no light there. Only by looking to Jesus do I find the light I need when my way is dark. In 2 Kings 6:17, the city of God is surrounded by enemies, and the servant of Elisha is frightened. Elisha prayed that God would open his eyes, whereupon the servant looked and saw the hillside filled with chariots of fire surrounding the enemy. “There are more with us than with them,” Elisha explained. Note that these were chariots of fire, lighting up the mountains. At first, the servant couldn’t see them. His entire vision was limited to the enemy surrounding him. But as the psalm says, “the angel of the LORD encamped around those who fear him.” We only see them by divine revelation when God miraculously opens our eyes and gives light. But they are there, and we are kept in his care.

I still don’t understand, but I trust, and I pray for my sister and her children, for Jose’s extended family, and for his congregation which now has to face life without their pastor. Their way is dark, but it was dark for the disciples as Jesus was laid in the tomb. Good Friday and Holy Saturday do not have the final word; tomorrow is Easter—Resurrection Sunday! Jesus lives, and so do those who have put their trust in him. He is the firstfruits, and the day is coming when Jose and all those who sleep in Jesus will rise again and we shall forever be together with the Lord.