Psalm 34:1,5,7,8,15,18 I will extol the LORD at all times; his praise will always be on my lips…Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame…The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them. Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him…The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous, and his ears are attentive to their cry…The LORD is close to the brokenhearted. (NIV)
How many times, when days are difficult and your parent heart is hurting, have you just cried out to the Lord, “Help, please”? And then when he gives that help, when he answers that cry, you say, “Thank you, Lord!” But then there are days when parenting is going well, and things are good. That’s when we have to remind ourselves to be thankful and not just pray when we need help.
Psalm 34 calls us to an even more challenging thought: to praise and thank God even when times are difficult. “I will extol (bless) the LORD at all times,” writes the psalmist, and throughout the psalm he tells us why: because “those who look to him are radiant” and “the angel of the LORD camps around those who fear him.” He encourages us, “Taste and see that the LORD is good,” and that “the eyes of the LORD are on the righteous.”
For those who know God, who have a right relationship with him through Jesus, there is no reason to doubt that he is good. Yes, sometimes we will still doubt. But we only need to look at Jesus giving his life for our eternal salvation—and rising from death for our eternal hope—and we can be sure that these are the things a good God does. So when our families are going through a difficult day, we can still praise him, because we know he is good. And he promises that “his ears are attentive to (our) cry for help,” and “the LORD is close to the brokenhearted.” At all times, we are to praise the Lord and give thanks. The beauty of this encouragement is that often, when we do so, we find greater strength. Our hearts that worry about our children are turned to trust when we thank God, even for the difficult days.
God, you are so good. I praise you for all that you are and all that you have done. Lead my heart to thankfulness and praise at all times, no matter the circumstances. Amen.
by Brandon Steenbock