Psalm 34:1-3

The following is a Bible study posted on our Bible Study Group.

Happy Thursday, everyone!  I'm excited to be back online today and writing a Bible study.  Welcome to all our new members (we've had 5 new ladies join in just the last week).  As I've mentioned before, my goal is not only to introduce you to some of my most favorite Psalms but also to show you how easy it is to study the Bible for yourself.

I don't want today's Bible study to get TOO long, but before we begin, let me remind you of some simple things we should all be doing every day, if we'd like to continue to grow closer to the Lord.  First, we all need to spend time each day reading our Bibles.  If you aren't used to reading your Bible daily, I recommend putting your Bible where you'll see it first thing in the morning and start by reading just a chapter or two a day.  My Bible is in my bathroom, and I read my couple chapters as soon as I've gotten out of the shower and am dressed and have my make-up on -- BEFORE I leave my bedroom and head out into the distractions of the day.  A good rule of thumb is "No Bible, no breakfast."

We should also be walking in the presence of the Lord continually.  We usually think of this as prayer time, and yes, I do recommend having a time and place for regular prayer (mine is while I'm doing dishes, plus in the shower).  It even helps to have a prayer list or a journal.  But don't forget that we should be praying without ceasing (1 Thess. 5:17).  As soon as you wake up, start a running conversation with the Lord in your heart, and continue talking with Him all day!

There are many other things we should be doing, such as deeply studying the Word, memorizing Scripture verses, and fellowshipping with other believers in our local churches.  You can find lots of help on these topics at http://www.anneshomeyplace.com/God.htm and other spots on my website.  As we fill our hearts and minds with God's Word, it's easier to put into practice what we're going to be learning about today in Psalm 34.  It also gets easier and easier to study and understand what God is saying in His Word.

Let's look at today's verses:

I will bless the LORD at all times;
        His praise shall continually be in my mouth.
        My soul shall make its boast in the LORD;
        The humble shall hear of it and be glad.
        Oh, magnify the LORD with me,
        And let us exalt His name together. (Ps. 34:1-3, NKJV)

(Oh, these verses are both encouraging and convicting...)

What does "bless" mean?  To keep it simple, I've visited http://dictionary.com and found that it means "to honor as holy and to glorify."  I guess that means that at ALL times I remember God's holiness and worship, exalt, and glorify God because of all that He is.  The convicting thing is that I'm supposed to do this at ALL TIMES.  His praise is to CONTINUALLY be in my mouth.

I fail at this!  I think that's because our mouths spill out the leftovers of what our hearts are thinking about.  My heart is the "worry-wart" type, and I tend to plot, plan, make lists, agonize over and debate all kinds of things in my heart.  However, if I were blessing God -- listing His fabulous attributes such as His goodness, His power, His omniscience, His mercy -- and praising Him in my heart, then I'm sure His praise WOULD be continually in my mouth.

In fact, verse 2 hints at this idea.  In my soul, I need to be boasting about God.  If you're a list-maker like me, then you might enjoy adding a list of everything God has done for you to that spot by your kitchen sink. Maybe, instead, you like to scrapbook and could make a "Look at What God Has Done" book for your family.  Maybe you could take a pad of Post-It Notes and boast about one fabulous work of God on each little sheet, then stick them all over your house as reminders.

No matter how you go about doing it, as you teach your soul to make its boast in the Lord, soon you'll find praise spilling out spontaneously onto your tongue.  The humble people around you will hear of it, and they'll be lifted up, too!

I first studied Psalm 34 in 1988 (I'm getting old...) when my cheerleading coach decided that we cheerleaders needed to dig in and study God's Word if we were really going to have unity on our squad.  She required us to memorize the entire chapter before the end of football season, and in addition, she assigned us each several verses that we had to study and then present to the other members of the squad.  Verse 3 became our "Verse of the Year," and we would recite it together before and after every game.  Strange stuff for cheerleaders, huh...

But this chapter was immensely encouraging to all of us mostly because our coach was a living example of these verses.  Whether you were around her for 5 minutes or 5 months, you couldn't help noticing how she steered every conversation around to God and His goodness.  She literally had God's praises continually in her mouth.  I got to know her quite well over the next five years, and I don't think she woke up in each morning and decided to be a fanatic Christian.  :-)  Rather, she spent so much time in private, dwelling on God and His Word, she couldn't help that it spilled out into every other area of her life.

And that is my personal prayer as well.  In fact, verse 5 says that when we look to Him, our faces become "radiant."  The precious presence of God radiates literally out of our faces, and those around us can't help but notice our sweet attitudes, our peaceful expressions, and our joyful perspectives.  It gives me goosebumps....

So, I challenge you, "Magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt His name together."  Let's make it our goal, over the next 8 weeks of studying this Psalm, to learn how to be so close to God that He becomes HUGE (magnified) and LIFTED UP (exalted) in the eyes of every one around us.  Let's learn how to radiate for Him.

Begin by meditating and (gasp!) yes, memorizing these three verses by next Thursday!  :-)  It's not hard!  You can do it!

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Next - Psalm 34:4-7 

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