Psalm 34 1 I will extol the LORD at all times; his praise will always be on my lips. 2 My soul will boast in the LORD; let the afflicted hear and rejoice. 3 Glorify the LORD with me; let us exalt his name together. 4 I sought the LORD, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears. 5 Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame. 6 This poor man called, and the LORD heard him; he saved him out of all his troubles. 7 The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them. 8 Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him. 9 Fear the LORD, you his saints, for those who fear him lack nothing. 10 The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing. 11 Come, my children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the LORD. 12 Whoever of you loves life and desires to see many good days, 13 keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking lies. 14 Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it. 15 The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their cry; 16 the face of the LORD is against those who do evil, to cut off the memory of them from the earth. 17 The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles. 18 The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. 19 A righteous man may have many troubles, but the LORD delivers him from them all; 20 he protects all his bones, not one of them will be broken. 21 Evil will slay the wicked; the foes of the righteous will be condemned. 22 The LORD redeems his servants; no one will be condemned who takes refuge in him.

Tonight is the College Football Championship Bowl Game. If the two playoff games last weekend are any indication, this should be a very good game. I watched both. While there are always complaints about the officiating and there were some questionable calls, both games were exciting and competitive.

Something that really struck me last week was the post-game interview of the Ohio State quarterback, who after playing a great game ended up on the losing side at the Peach Bowl. When they asked him the first question, his response was “First of all, I want to give all glory and praise to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ…” Wow! You can hear it about 30 seconds in to this clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wy0nU9H2Cs

That is the attitude David described in Psalm 34: In good times or in bad, it is time to praise the Lord: I will extol the LORD at all times; his praise will always be on my lips. Easier said than done, but it is what we should strive to do, like that young quarterback from Ohio State. And David reminds us why we should do so: The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. God knows what you are going through and wants to comfort you with His constant presence.

This reminded me of a song I had not thought of in years. It was written by a fellow named Ray Boltz, entitled “I Will Praise the Lord.” He describes Paul and Silas waking up in a jail cell after being beaten and imprisoned. Paul says it was so bad he thought he was going home to heaven and was surprised to wake up still on earth. They are in desperate circumstances, but the refrain of Paul is this:

I will praise the Lord, I will praise the Lord,
No matter what the future brings, or what it has in store,
I will praise the Lord.

Paul had this attitude because he knew what Jesus had already done for him. The self-described chief of sinners was rescued while he was persecuting Christ, forgiven, and assured of eternal life. Jesus already took care of that through His life and death and resurrection. It became Paul’s mission in life to share this Savior of all with others, which brought all kinds of suffering and bad times into his life. But it was worth it. He wrote:

Romans 8:18 I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.

Knowing what our future will be thanks to Jesus, we need to remember to Praise the Lord in the good times and the bad.

1 Thessalonians 5:16–18 Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.