Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the historic one-year lectionary.
Our reading in Psalm 34 speaks of the Lord’s care for his righteous people. He is the Lord who hears the cries of the righteous, who rescues them from trouble, who cares for those who are brokenhearted and crushed in spirit. God redeems his people. They don’t need to have any eternal fear.
We often ask ourselves about the heroic deeds that must be necessary to be one of the righteous people. Do we need to engage in special meditations on Scripture, staying up late at night to study and pray? Do we lay down our lives for the last, the least, and the lost? Do we give of our finances until we have no more?
All those may be appropriate responses to need around us. However, in Psalm 34 the righteous are engaged in speaking truth and good, in turning from evil and in pursuing peace. Sometimes that entails sacrifice. Sometimes it is very serious sacrifice. But in most people’s minds, telling the truth, speaking about what is good, turning toward what is good, and trying to live peaceably with others is not considered extreme behavior.
The biggest difficulty in all this is probably remembering that the mercy we receive isn’t something we earn but something the Lord gives us out of his gracious care for his people.
We may be surrounded by trials on every side. All our truth telling and turning from evil to good might not do us any earthly good. But God promises to give us eternal good. This is the good news we need. In Christ we have no need for fear of eternity. We’ll be all right, as we are trusting in the Lord.
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