Psalm 34:1Psalm 34:1
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
34 A Psalm of David, when he changed his behaviour before Abimelech; who drove him away, and he departed. Abimelech: or, Achish ¹ I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth.  

WP-Bible plugin

I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth.

The psalmist exhorts himself and his hearers to talk about the greatness of YHWH, the covenant-keeping God. He will praise the LORDcontinually. How do I praise continually? When I hear phrases like this or phrases about “praying continually,” I am puzzled.

Is this hyperbole, exaggeration to emphasize the value of praising and praying? The clue may be in the words “time.” This is not an abstraction of time but is grounded in everyday living. The Hebrew word conveys several nuances in relation to time.

Regular Times

First, there are regular times like the seasons of the year. If I confine these regular times to the harvest cycle, I might think of regular times of preparing and cultivating the soil, planting the seeds, watering and nurturing the plants, and finally a time of harvest.

At each of these significant moments, he will pause and offer thanksgiving to YHWH, proclaiming His covenant faithfulness. Even when the ground is hard, the rains don’t come and the harvest is slack. The psalmist chooses to lift up praise unto YHWH who can be trusted. This regularity trains the heart and mind by using the body (the mouth) to consistently see God’s hand in the midst.

Even as he remembers the LORD in through these regular “times,” he is reminded of God’s goodness in the midst of the regularity. Every morning he is reminded of the Lord’s faithfulness by simply gazing out at the dawning of the day. Every night he can rest in the passing of yet another day. This constancy in nature serves as a constant witness of the faithfulness of the LORD.

We live farther from the harvest rhythms of the soil, and yet we still live in midst of regular times. Every time we pause to eat a meal we can stop and remember this faithfulness of God. Every time we break bread and drink wine, we remember and celebrate the LORD’s faithfulness to redeem us. Every time we celebrate a birthday, a holiday, or even a weekly service, we pause and rejoice in the faithfulness of our covenant-keeping God. This might help me to be more aware of consecrating these moments as holy times of rejoicing to the Lord.

Un-recurring Events

There are other times in our live that are not cyclical. These can be times of joy like the birth of a baby, a promotion at work, winning an award, and achieving some life goal. These can also be times of sadness like an unexpected death, going to war, losing a job, fighting a sickness. The writer of Ecclesiastes reminds us that all times are in the LORD’s hands.

There is a time for war, a time for peace, a time for rejoicing and a time for grieving, yet in all these times, I will bless the LORD, announcing His covenant faithfulness to myself and others.

Appointed Times

The Hebrews might also think of appointed times. Sometimes the leader might call for a day of solemn fasting and praying when facing a great challenge. Other times, the leader might call for day of rejoicing. These times are specifically appointed to direct our attention to the LORD.

We intentionally, collectively call upon His name and cry out for His favor, remembering His faithfulness.

All Times

The psalmist reminds us that in all these times, our voice unites our whole person in proclamation of God’s faithfulness. As we join our voice with the voices of all God’s people, we all unite in one voice and one proclamation of God’s faithfulness. As we do, we join our voice with voices of saints from across the ages, knowing that’s God’s faithfulness extends beyond our lives, beyond our nations, and beyond our world to encompass all times and all places. He will bring all things to completion.

Popularity: 6% [?]