Bless the Lord at All Times

In Philippians 4 the imprisoned Apostle Paul says, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.” It seems a strange command for him to give when his own situation is so dire. However, that is what makes the command so powerful. For we can rejoice even in the midst of our suffering as Christians. We have in the Lord Jesus Christ the power to bless the Lord at all times for we know that in all things we are more than conquerors through Christ Jesus our Lord. In this time of hardship and loss we might wonder how we can rejoice in the Lord. We don’t do it out of ignorance or stoic indifference, but rather we rejoice because we know that the Lord is ever-present to save and deliver us from all our troubles.

In Psalm 34 David is expressing his joy in the Lord in the midst of a difficult and trying situation. The heading of the Psalm tells us that David wrote this Psalm as he was fleeing from the city of Gath. David was on the run from King Saul and sought refuge in Gath, however, after a short stay there his life was again threated so he had to flee back into Israel. And in the midst of his hardship he wrote,

“I will bless the LORD at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth.” (Psalm 34:1 ESV) 

Can you praise the Lord at all times? Not just in the good times but in the challenging and stressful times can you still praise the Lord? To be prepared for the sermon take time this week to read and to meditate upon Psalm 34, 1 Samuel 21:10-15, 2 Chronicles 20:12, John 12:13;15:10-11; 19:33-36, Philippians 4:4-6, and Westminster Shorter Catechism # 26.

Outline:

1. To Bless the Lord at All Times We Must Be Dedicated to Prayer (vv. 4-7)
2. To Bless the Lord at All Times We Must Experience His Goodness (verses 8-10)
3. To Bless the Lord at All Times We Must Obey His Commands (verses 11-14)
4. To Bless the Lord at All Times We Must Trust His Salvation (verses 15-22)