Psalm 34

                I’ve been focusing on Psalm 34 for the past few weeks.  Recent struggles have really brought the words of the psalm into focus.  David really focuses on the fact that God answers those who call upon his name.  He hears our cries and answers us.

                It’s no secret that Renee and I are expecting our first child.  Our journey to this point has been long and painful at times.  Simply getting pregnant proved to be a monumental challenge and even then we had some setbacks.  Exactly one year ago today, we found out Renee had miscarried.  After having to go through IVF to even get pregnant, it seemed like we deserved an easy pregnancy.  That wasn’t the case last year and it’s not the case this year.  Thankfully this year the challenges have been met and conquered so far.  Renee has been dealing with a sub-chorionic hematoma that has caused bleeding on and off for the last several weeks.  Bleeding during a pregnancy is never a good thing, but every appointment has shown a baby growing appropriately. 

After last year’s miscarriage we really wanted to make sure we were out of the first trimester before the holidays.  We crossed that bridge at Thanksgiving, but we aren’t out of the woods yet.  We find ourselves still hoping against hope that nothing goes wrong.  The bleeding still represents a major challenge that has to be overcome.  The doctors are hopeful that all will go well and it looks like things are healing, but it is still quite scary.

 Today we had another appointment with the OB.  The baby is still growing and looking healthy, we just have to keep praying.  There’s still a possibility of something going wrong, especially an early delivery.  We try to take it one week at a time, knowing that each week gets us one step closer.

Just in case a difficult pregnancy wasn’t enough for us we find ourselves faced with a second challenge – I lost my job.  I won’t go into details except to say that the company decided to make some changes and I became the odd man out.  Thankfully I still have my job with our church and I am able to collect unemployment.

Into this mess come the words of Psalm 34.  “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” (Psalm 34:18)  That verse seems to be an accurate account of me right now.  Losing my job has left me “crushed in spirit” and the possibility of losing another pregnancy makes me fear that my heart will be broken again.  But, the promise here is that God is close to us and he saves us.

Now, earlier verses show that this promise requires some active participation on our part.  “I sought the Lord and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.” (Psalm 34:4)  “The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles.” (Psalm 34:17)  Both of these verses suggest that we must cry out to the Lord for help.  That’s the key to this psalm.  God will deliver us from trouble and provide for our needs.  But (and it’s a big one) we have to be actively seeking God, crying out to him, following his commands, trusting him. 

In verse 8 David writes, “[t]aste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.”  The notes point out that this is an invitation to try this because the psalmist knows it will be good for us.  It’s an invitation to try out the Christian life and find the blessings within.  Now, go back to verse 18 where David writes, “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted.”   While life with Christ is indeed good, it is not free from pain.  We will not always have smooth sailing, nor will we always find easy relief from trouble.  However, we can rest in the knowledge that God is on our side.  We may be sailing upon smooth waters, or not.  Our deliverance may come quickly, or not.  Regardless, we have to trust that God is with us and he will walk beside us through all of life, both good and bad.