Radiance

March 28, 2024

Good evening. Tonight’s meditation comes from Psalm 34:

1. I will bless the Lord at all times; 

His praise shall continually be in my mouth. 

2. My soul shall make its boast in the Lord; 

The humble shall hear of it and be glad. 

3. Oh, magnify the Lord with me, 

And let us exalt His name together. 

4. I sought the Lord, and He heard me, 

And delivered me from all my fears. 

5. They looked to Him and were radiant, 

And their faces were not ashamed. 

6. This poor man cried out, and the Lord heard him, 

And saved him out of all his troubles. 

7. The angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him, 

And delivers them. 

8. Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; 

Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!“

Psalm 34:1-8 

Verse 5 presents us with a question: “Who is the ‘they’ who looked to God?” 

“They looked to Him and were radiant, 

And their faces were not ashamed.”

You must go back to verse two for the answer: it is ‘the humble’ who hear our boasting in God. No one likes to be humbled. Whether it’s ridicule, having a sin exposed, or being bested in a fight, humbling is a bitter pill to swallow. But when because of our praise and boasting in God those who have been mistreated or humbled begin to look to the Lord instead of how they feel from being mistreated, they learn that they do not have to feel ashamed. Many of God’s choicest saints were humbled and mistreated; like Paul, the humble can boast in our weaknesses, knowing that in Christ, when we are weak and trusting in him, we are strong, and instead of moping about, our faces can be radiant. And if ours are, it just might be the encouragement that someone else needs to look to Christ and be radiant, too.