Psalms 34 and 35

Today's reading in our daily plan is Psalm 34 & Psalm 35. Take a moment to pray, asking God to speak to you from this passage. Then read, using the following notes and questions to help you get everything out of the passage.

SAY WHAT? (What is the passage saying?)

• Psalm 34 tells us how great it is to follow God and encourages us to fear God. This “fear” can be better understood as "reverence."
• Psalm 35 is about David asking God to deliver him from his enemies and trusting God to do so.

SO WHAT? (What are the underlying principles?) 

• Not only does Psalm 34 tells us to fear the Lord, it also talks about how following God drives out fear in our lives. In verse 2 it’s the “afflicted” whom God calls out to. In verse 4 it says, “the Lord . . . delivered me from all my fears.”
• Throughout this chapter, we read about how God favors those who desire Him and answers their call. So the word “fear” cannot mean to cower in fear of his power (although that's understood when we grasp how mighty God is). Instead, it's in reverence to how great God is.
• God doesn’t want us to have a relationship based on fear as we understand it. God wants us to have a relationship based on love, with an understanding of our being created and Him being the Creator.

NOW WHAT? (How will you personally apply this passage?)

• Do you have a relationship where you can say you “fear” God? If not, is it because you misunderstand the “fear of the Lord” the Bible talks about? Ask God to help you understand the fear of him from the right perspective.