“I sought the Lord, and He heard me, And delivered me from all my fears. They looked to Him and were radiant, And their faces were not ashamed. This poor man cried out, and the Lord heard him, And saved him out of all his troubles.” — Psalm 34:46
Encouragement is the action of giving someone support, confidence or hope. To encourage someone is to cheer them up, inspire, motivate, stimulate or boost morale. Encouragement is persuasion to do or continue to do something. It is more than just mere words; encouragement is ultimately action.
Countless great thinkers, wisdom writers, motivators and coaches have weighed in on the subject of encouragement. Albert Einstein once said: “In the middle of every difficulty lies an opportunity.” Numerous Bible verses deal directly with encouragement. Joshua 1:9 states: “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” And Proverbs 18:10 reminds us that, “The name of the Lord is a strong tower; The righteous run to it and are safe.”
Psalm 34, a Psalm of David, is an acrostic poem of the Hebrew alphabet. An acrostic is a poem where each verse starts with the subsequent letter of the alphabet. It is one of a series of the songs of thanksgiving. It is also the first Psalm that describes angels as guardians of the righteous. The primary purpose of the Psalm is to teach the hearer moral lessons about God. David is reflecting on his personal testimony of how he feigned madness before Abimelech. We are taught in this Psalm that God continuously cares for God’s own. This is also the first place in the Psalms where we see reference to God’s angels protecting the righteous. The Psalm does not say the righteous have no troubles, but rather that God delivers them from their troubles.
Three other key points emerge from this Psalm. First, when we seek the Lord, God hears us and delivers us from all of our fears. David found himself in distress so he “sought the Lord.” In essence, rather than depending on another source to deliver him, David consulted or resorted to the Lord. We can always be assured victory when we consult God regarding critical times or matters in our lives.
Secondly, the Lord will not let us be ashamed. Sometimes we find ourselves in situations where shame and embarrassment can easily be the outcome. These situations can be self-induced or they can be caused by those seeking our demise. Either way, our God promises in this Psalm that we will not be ashamed. God will not allow God’s children to be embarrassed.
Finally, the Lord saves us from all of our troubles. In Psalm 34:6, David pens: “This poor man cried out and the Lord heard him and saved him from all of his troubles.” Here David is describing himself (“poor man”) as a person who is poor and afflicted, humbled and oppressed, and in desperation. Life can push us down and into a corner sometimes, and it will seem that we have no way out. But David reminds us that it’s in those moments of desperation God steps in and delivers us from all of our troubles. And that, my friends, is a word of encouragement.
Dr. Preston T. Adams III is senior pastor at Amazing Grace Christian Church in Indianapolis. Contact Pastor Adams via email at seniorpastor@agccindy.org or via Twitter @DrPrestonTAdams. For more information, visit agccindy.org.
