Psalm 34 - Surviving Finals Week

Well, it's been quite a while, but I'm glad we got back into this when we did. This week [or next week], as some of you might know, is finals week. We all know how stressful finals can be, how boring studying is, and how frightening it is awaiting the outcome of our grades. On the other hand, the title of this weeks Psalm, at least in my Bible, is "Happiness of Those Who Trust in God." No matter what aspect of life you look at, the stress that amounts to it can never be compared to the peace that we have found in Jesus Christ. This week, we look at a few things that king David did to make sure that he stayed focused on God rather than the worries of this world. Psalm 34




Verses 1-3 One of my least favorite parts of finals week is hearing the complaints that come out of peoples mouths. I know that I am just a guilty, but every year, without fail, there are always people wandering the campus ranting about how they are going to "fail" their classes. I love king David ... he is way too awesome sometimes. The first step, in my humble opinion, to finding peace in Christ is to recognize that His praise always deserves to be on your lips. Think of what God has done for you - the list is, not surprisingly, endless. Now think on the other hand, what God asks from you. I'm so glad that our God is not a God that demands perfection. On the contrary, God is more concerned with the effort you put forth. Knowing that none would ever attain perfection, Paul constantly talked about "the race" in the New Testament. God knows that all of his sheep are failures ... sounds kinda sad right? WRONG! God adores His sheep. He is jealous for His sheep. God knows what you are capable of and fully understands your capability. It really is marvelous. 1 Peter 5:7 says to cast all of your cares upon Him for He cares for you. Your complaints are not to be shouted from the rooftops - rather your worries are to go to God. Now that he has taken the words right out of our mouths, all that is left is praise. First lesson of the week - get rid of all your worthless mumbo-jumbo and lift up the Lord in praise and adoration. How much better would this world be if Christians as a whole stopped talking of their personal sorrows and began speaking the wonders of our maker. Let the praise of the Lord always be on your lips.

Verse 8 I think often, when it comes to the youth, there is this feeling that God is for old people. That you can only be a real Christian later in life when your married, have kids that have kids (grandkids), and you're roughly 3-4 years away from dying. This is not so. I think this thought process comes from this problem that youth are not "tasting" the fruits of the Lord. Growing up, there were foods that I did not want to eat, but my friends or parents insisted - "It's good." Today, cheesecake is my favorite desert thanks to my dad ... just saying. I urge you to do the same thing - taste and see that the Lord is good. Maybe the previous paragraph was a little difficult to swallow. Maybe there have been times in your life that your thinking about that seem to be much more than God can deal with. I promise you - taste and see that the Lord is good. Let his praise be on your lips - see what that does. Get up early and read your Bible - see how your day changes. Lesson number two - taste and see that God truly is who he says he is. Find the peace in Him that he promises.


Verses 13-16 Lastly, and I'll be quick on this one, is to stray from evil. At the beginning, we talked about the "negative nancy" people that always like to complain and grumble. Let me be the first to tell you that God's children are not grumblers. Keep your tongue from evil - whether its inappropriate words, or more so, grumbling and complaining. Why? Why does it matter? God's eyes are fixed on the righteous - those who are praising him. Lesson 3 - "Depart from evil and do good. Seek peace and pursue it!"


The end.
- Christopher