“I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth.” Psalms 34:1 NLT
This morning as we address today’s message, “I Will” I want us to examine ourselves and make a determination not on someone else’s stance but your own individual stance in the Lord. As I traveled from Newport News to Washington, DC and then from DC to Blacksburg, Virginia, I saw the wonders of God. I saw the majestic beauty of the mountains. I witnessed God’s hands as He kept us from danger and how even in the midst of torrential rain, God had His covering upon us. I said, “Who could do this but God…we serve a mighty, mighty good God.” I pondered how many of us believe that at all times? How many of us choose to bless the Lord and see His wondrous works even in torrential times? Church, I must confess sometimes, the times become so heavy that I too become unfocused on God’s goodness.
This year (2015) we’re heard numerous messages on our Church theme “Transformation through Warfare births Reformation.” Now, I don’t know about you but I’ve been experiencing quite a bit of warfare since January at the inception of our theme. Many of us have endured warfare spiritually, physically, financially, mentally, and emotionally. Church, I’m telling you that warfare is inevitable; it will occur and it happens when you least expect it, just like the torrential rain that surfaced spontaneously. Has anybody here ever had a spontaneous storm surface in your life? I know I’m not the only one who has experienced that. Can I get an amen here!
Looking at our text, Psalms 34, we notice that King David was engaged in warfare. See the writing of this psalm of David, regards a time when David pretended to be insane in front of Abimelech. David fled for his life because Saul was trying to kill David solely because Saul was jealous of David. To escape from Saul, David flees to Gath and encounters Achish whom he feared as well. David jumped out of the frying pan into the fire. David didn’t seek the Lord’s guidance but made a determination out of his own will. Whenever we move out of our limited knowledge the probability is we will ‘jump out of the fire into the frying pan.’ That’s why the scripture instructs us to “trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not to thy own understanding.” The result of David’s decision was Abimelech expelled him from Gath even though David was the King of Israel (Gath was a Philistine City in the nation of Israel). Technically Abimelech was under the ruleship of the King of Israel, who happened to be David. As I read this psalm, I questioned why did David pretend to be insane yet he said, “I will bless the Lord at all times.” To fully understand this, we must “study to show thyself approved unto God so that we can rightly divide God’s word.” The writing of David’s psalm is a result of his experience recorded in 1 Samuel 21:10-15 (Look along with me):
10 David fled from Saul and went to Achish king of Gath.
11 But the servants of Achish said to him, “Isn’t this David, the king of the land?
Isn’t he the one they sing about in their dances:
“‘Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands’”
12 David took these words to heart and was very much afraid of Achish king of Gath.
13 So he pretended to be insane in their presence; and while he was in their hands he acted like a madman, making marks on the doors of the gate and letting saliva run down his beard.
14 Achish said to his servants, “Look at the man! He is insane! Why bring him to me?
15 Am I so short of madmen that you have to bring this fellow here to carry on like this in front of me? Must this man come into my house?”
Before, we go any further church, it’s important to understand that the Psalm heading speaks of "Abimelech," while the historical account speaks of "Achish." However the "Abimelech" of the psalm is the same person as the "Achish" of the historical record in 1 Samuel 21. The names are not contradictory. In 1 Samuel 21, Achish is the king’s personal name; however, in Psalm 34, Abimelech is his title of royalty.
Nonetheless as recorded in 1 Samuel 21, David walked in fear for he knew execution was inevitable if caught. To save his life, he pretended to be insane with saliva falling from his beard. (David knew that the Philistines had a law pertaining to releasing a madman!) So they let David go. I surmise that when David (realized the bad step that he took) and found himself in the presence of Achish (also known as Abimelech) he stopped relying on his own skills of evasion and placed his trust in God.
Let me ask you a question? How many times do we do the same thing, walk in insanity; disbelief based on our limited knowledge? We come to church and go through the act of worship but deep in our hearts we don’t trust God and walk in fear. Thus, our praise isn’t sincere but rather a performance before others. I’m here to tell you Church when praise is really within you, no matter what is happening, you are able and willing to render sincere praise unto the Lord. You don’t have to pretend to be crazy but rather you can be real because you know that God is right there with you in the midst of your storm.
Church, praise isn’t contingent upon our circumstances but rather our circumstance(s) is the engine that propels us to a higher level of praise. Regardless to life circumstance, we are to give God praise. God knew David’s plans before David acted upon them. When will we learn that nothing takes God by surprise; actually it is God who allows the ups and downs of life. Why would He do this? I’m learning that it is to strengthen us in our walk with Him. Do we allow life’s situations to determine our destiny or do we focus on the one who can handle the situation and trust that we will finish the course. When David placed his total trust in God according to verse 6 of our text, he prayed to the Lord and escapes to the Cave of Adullam (1 Samuel 22:1). In the Cave of Adullam, God’s ultimate purposed prevailed. For we see in 1 Samuel 22:2, David wasn’t alone:
"Every one that was in distress, and every one that was in debt, and every one that was discontented, gathered themselves unto him; and he became a captain over them: and there were with him about four hundred men."
Sometimes when we are going through our trials and struggles we feel like we are all alone and no one else is enduring any problems. Then God reveals to us that we are not alone and it is at those times that we realize how good we have it. Thus, we should utter out of our mouths, ‘thank you Jesus, I will bless You.’
When we say, “I will bless the Lord” exactly what does it mean? Note first that there is a difference between the phrases, “I Will” and “I Shall.” I will states an event is actually occurring right now. While I shall implies that something may possibly take place; what is inevitable or likely to happen in the future.
So David says, “I will bless the Lord” right now! In other words, I don’t see the conclusion to my situation but while I have breath in my body, “I will bless the Lord”. I will bless Him because when I look back over my life and meditate on all the things He has done for me, I see all the wondrous, marvelous, magnificent things He has brought me through and I can’t help but say ‘Thank you Jesus.’
¶ When I was sinning….He kept me! So, I WILL bless the Lord!
¶ When I moved ahead of God…He Kept me! So, I WILL bless the Lord!
¶ When I was lying….He kept me! So, I WILL bless the Lord!
¶ When I was crying and having a pity party…He kept me! So, I WILL bless the Lord!
¶ When I wasn’t obedient to His Word…He kept me! So, I WILL bless the Lord!
¶ When I was cheating and stealing…He kept me! So, I WILL bless the Lord!
¶ When I wasn’t treating people ungodly…He kept me! So, I WILL bless the Lord!
Oh yes, “I Will bless the Lord” because I don’t deserve His mercy and grace…but He kept me from seen and unseen and He’s keeping me today!
Just in case you still don’t understand what “I Will bless the Lord” means, let me expound on it. This phrase, “I Will bless the Lord” in its original context means “to kneel in adoration, to think, to mediate deeply than to resolve.” We must understand that God is perfect; henceforth there is nothing that we can do to improve who He is. Thus, to bless God simply means to praise Him or to honor His name. It is to recognize His great richness, strength, and gracious bounty. Listen carefully, we add anything to Him when we bless Him, yet our worship to Him is an appropriate response to His greatness and His love for us. It is to express our gratitude and delight in seeing and experiencing His greatness and love.
Early biblical accounts revealed that God called people to honor Him through acts of worship. Then the Law of Moses instructed people to worship and bless the Lord. The Psalms are filled with commands to bless the Lord. However, do we do this solely because God’s word commands it? I pray not! What if your children only showed acts of gratitude because you commanded it rather than the love they have for you. That would be a sad commentary. Church, we should bless the Lord simply for who He is, God Almighty of the Heavens and the Earth and because of His love and goodness.
Therefore, no-no, I’m not going to wait:
¶ Until the bills are paid, I’m praising, blessing the Lord NOW
¶ Until my body is healed, I’m praising, blessing the Lord NOW
¶ Until the kids strengthen up, I’m praising, blessing the Lord NOW
¶ Until I obtain employment, I’m praising, blessing the Lord NOW
¶ Until the finances are sufficient, I’m praising, blessing the Lord NOW
¶ Until that loan is eradicated, I’m praising, blessing the Lord NOW
¶ Until the arguing stops, I’m praising, blessing the Lord NOW
¶ Until the supervisor stops mistreating me and showing favoritism, I’m praising, blessing the Lord NOW
¶ Until the family comes together, I’m praising, blessing the Lord NOW
¶ Until that loved ones gets cleaned up, I’m praising, blessing the Lord NOW.
Oh no, I don’t have to wait until I get out of this mess to show my gratitude but while I’m in it, I will bless the Lord NOW and give God some praise. This is the test of a genuine Christian. We all have our difficulties but to bless the Lord is a way God permits man to express his thankfulness to God. Saying "I mag¬nify the Lord" or "Let us exalt His name" is properly recognizing and giving joyful expression to God's magnificence and His exalted status.
As we reminisce on God’s worth, we can’t help but say, “I Will” at this very moment - bless the Lord. We bless the Lord because according to the following scriptures, God has just been so good to us; therefore, not just at good times but at all times, I will bless the Lord because:
Deuteronomy 8:10 - And you shall eat and be full, and you shall bless the Lord your God for the good land He has given you.
Psalm 33:20 - Our soul waiteth for the LORD: He is our help and our shield.
Psalm 33:21 - For our heart shall rejoice in Him, because we have trusted in His holy name.
Psalm 33:22 - Let thy mercy, O LORD, be upon us, according as we hope in thee.
Psalm 113:1-2 - Praise the Lord! Praise, O servants of the Lord, praise the name of the Lord! Blessed be the name of the Lord from this time forth and forevermore!
Psalm 145:1-2, 21 - I will extol you, my God and King, and bless your name forever and ever. Every day I will bless you and praise your name forever and ever. My mouth will speak the praise of the Lord, and let all flesh bless his holy name forever and ever.
Ephesians 5:20 - Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;
Therefore CHURCH as the scripture declares, we should:
Psalm 100:4 - Enter His gates with thanksgiving, and His courts with praise! Give thanks to Him; BLESS HIS NAME!
So in closing, David tells us in verse 3 of our text: “Let us exalt, bless the Name of the Lord.” Is there anybody here who wants to bless the Lord? Is there anybody here who you will join in with me and is determine that regardless to what you choose to do, I WILL bless the Lord even if I have to do it all by myself! See, I WILL bless Him because:
¶ Inspite of what we may be enduring, the Lord is good and His mercy endureth forever.
I WILL bless Him because:
¶ One day, Jesus looked beyond our faults and He saw our needs.
I WILL bless Him because:
¶ One day on Golgotha Hill, Jesus rendered His life for us so that we may gain eternal life.
Church on that hill, according to:
o John 1:29, Christ: Pardoned: expiated — our sin and guilt. The guilt of our sin was taken away from us and placed on Christ. John the Baptist called Jesus “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” So, I WILL bless the Lord!
o 1 John 4:10, Christ: Propitiated: removed — God’s wrath that we justly deserved and turned God’s wrath into favor. Does anybody know that you and I possess the favor of God in our lives? So, I WILL bless the Lord!
o Romans 5:10-11, Christ: Reconciled: reunited— us unto God; it was because of our sins; we were alienated — separated — from God. Christ’s death removed this alienation and thus reconciled, reunited us to God. So, I WILL bless the Lord!
o Galatians 3:13-14, Romans 3:24, 1 Peter 1:18-19, Christ: Redeemed: delivered—us from captivity (that is: from the curse of the law, from the guilt of our sin, and from the power of sin) by means of giving His life as a ransom to set us free from eternal death in hell. Oh praise God, now we’re free from the power of sin, no longer a slave unto sin. So, I WILL bless the Lord!
Oh praise God Church, satan no longer has rule over us - So, I WILL bless the Lord!
Praise God Church, while we were sinners Jesus died - So, I WILL bless the Lord!
Praise God Church, His love didn’t stop on the cross - So, I WILL bless the Lord!
Praise God Church, On the 3rd day He got up with all power in His hand - So, I WILL bless the Lord!
Praise God Church, the power He has, He now gives it to you and me - So, I WILL bless the Lord!
Oh yes Church! If you want to put the devil on the run say wholeheartedly:
“I will bless the LORD at all times: His praise shall continually be in my mouth.”
