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Psalm 34:1 - I will bless the Lord at all times…
By Jenny | February 19, 2007
I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul will make its boast in the Lord; the humble will hear it and rejoice. O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together. The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him, and rescues them. O taste and see that the Lord is good; how blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him. The righteous cry, and the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. Psalm 34:1-3, 7-8, 17-18
Shortly after Dad was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, Mom suggested that I meditate on Psalm 34 as she had been doing. In fact, Mom was trying to memorize the entire chapter. Desperate for encouragement, I started reading through it every morning, sometimes several times throughout the day. I wrote it down on an index card and carried it in my pocket at work and school, trying to commit the verses to memory. This psalm, almost three months later, is now very dear to my heart. Verse one - “I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be on my mouth” - is very easy to say when life is good. And now, as Dad is on his way to recovery, I love to repeat this verse back to the Lord. But there have been many days, even recently, when it has been difficult to bless the Lord. Meditating on this passage has reminded me that, even in life’s trials, God is completely worthy of my love, devotion, and praise because He is God. And He is faithful! He has carried us through this trial and given us a peace that exceeds human understanding. What an amazing God!
Dad had another appointment this morning. Last week doctors confirmed that there are two spots of basal cell carcinoma on the top of his head. Basal cell is the most common and most easily-treated of the skin cancers, and these spots do not concern them. They’ll be removed later, once Dad’s a little more healthy. And the pathology report came back today for the spot on Dad’s side - and praise the Lord, it’s not melanoma! In fact, it’s just a normal mole.
Please continue to pray for our family. Dad is uncomfortable from the fluid buildup in his abdomen (they hope to remove some of the fluid this week), and Mom is struggling with anxiety. We have been so blessed to have another family offer to pay for us to fly down to visit, so this weekend, Leslie, Megan, Nathan, Robby, and I are all going to be in town with Mom and Dad. We look forward to some great time together! Thank you for your continued prayers and words of encouragement. We love you all!
February 19th, 2007 at 8:26 pm
Jen,
I’m so blessed when I read your updates. Thank you for staying close to the Lord and for trusting Him in all things. I love you and can’t wait to see you and Nathan.
Dad
February 19th, 2007 at 9:15 pm
Awesome! Psalm 34 is one of the passages that I have considered for my memorization project this summer! I pray that you have a wonderful weekend!
Bev
February 20th, 2007 at 11:17 am
Jen,
I wish I could express the feeling in my heart right now. You still amaze me in your walk with God! Truly this is a testimony to your parents and the God you serve. You have hit the center, the heart of the matter. All too often I see and hear people praising God and saying how good and faithful he is when things go the way we want them to.(and we should praise Him) And as you said it is easy to praise Him at those times. But God is good and everything He does is good! To praise Him and acknowledge His goodness even in the midst of suffering and tragedy surly gives Hm glory. He IS good ALL the time!!!
natah and Jen we love you so and are humbled and proud to call you friends.
Love In Christ,
Desi