Today, I want to speak to you about Turning Life’s Noise into Praise. We finish a small family series highlighting four attitudes that should saturate every home.
Today, I want to talk to you about raising the praise level in your home. Find Psalm 34 with me, if you will.
Psalm 34 is specifically designed to flip your fear into praise. There’s a story behind Psalm 34. Many of you know about David killing Goliath and David serving as king, but do you know that David pretended to be insane for a while? Yes, this entire psalm is connected to when David acted like he was crazy (1 Samuel 21:10–15). David earnestly acted crazy to save his life.
The OddFather
I’ll tell you more about David in a moment, but this episode in David’s life reminded me of a mafia story from a couple of decades ago. You’ve heard of The Godfather, but do you know the story of “The OddFather”? Gangster Vincent Louis Gigante went by many nicknames, including “The Chin, “The OddFather,” and “The Enigma in the Bathrobe.” Vincent acted crazy in an effort to throw law enforcement off his trail. He would wander the streets of Greenwich Village in his bathrobe and slippers, mumbling incoherently to himself. Yes, this mafia boss wandered the streets of New York in an elaborate performance of insanity. His lawyers presented reports from psychiatrists at his trial that he suffered from paranoid schizophrenia. During this period, he talked to parking meters and urinated in the street. His family was an integral part of the ruse, especially his younger brother, Louis, who was a Roman Catholic priest. He repeatedly attested to his brother, the mob boss’ various mental illnesses. The “priest’s brother” even testified in court, “Vincent is a paranoid schizophrenic. He hallucinates. He’s been that way since 1968.”1 When this was happening, he built his crime family into one of the largest Mafia families in the country. Under his leadership, this powerhouse criminal enterprise brought in around $100 million a year at its height. But in 2003, he finally pleaded guilty and admitted that his supposed insanity was an elaborate effort to avoid prosecution.
1.2.1 The Story Behind the Psalm Continued
Back to David. Look at the inscription above Psalm 34: “OF DAVID, WHEN HE CHANGED HIS BEHAVIOR BEFORE ABIMELECH, SO THAT HE DROVE HIM OUT, AND HE WENT AWAY” (Psalm 34:title).2 When he acted like he was insane, the whole episode was a time when David was full of fear.
1 Samuel gives us more of the story: “So he changed his behavior before them and pretended to be insane in their hands and made marks on the doors of the gate and let his spittle run down his beard” (1 Samuel 21:13).
David was not king yet, and King Saul relentlessly sought to kill him because he was jealous of him. At this point in his life, David is going through a roller coaster of emotions. To flee King Saul’s murderous threats, David seeks asylum with the Philistines, who happened to be enemy #1 for Israel at the time. If Israel were enemy #1, then David would have been the most wanted man for the Philistines. David had been the “John Wick” of the Philistines – he had been mowing them down! He had been killing Philistines like you’d swat flies at a Fourth of July picnic. Naturally, the king’s advisors fear David taking refuge with them. David was thinking, “The king of Israel wants me dead and the only people I can run to are my enemies!” Imagine a steer walking into a meat processing plant, and you get an idea of how David feels! David is used to causing people to fear, but he’s not used to experiencing fear. It’s this episode in David’s life that caused him to write Psalm 34.
1. Raise Your Praise Level
“This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him
and saved him out of all his troubles” (Psalm 34:6).
Today’s Scripture
I will bless the LORD at all times;
his praise shall continually be in my mouth.
My soul makes its boast in the LORD;
let the humble hear and be glad.
Oh, magnify the LORD with me,
and let us exalt his name together!
I sought the LORD, and he answered me
and delivered me from all my fears.
Those who look to him are radiant,
and their faces shall never be ashamed.
This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him
and saved him out of all his troubles.
The angel of the LORD encamps
around those who fear him, and delivers them.
Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good!
Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!
Oh, fear the LORD, you his saints,
for those who fear him have no lack!
The young lions suffer want and hunger;
but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing” (Psalm 34:1-10).
1.1 That’s Clever
Again, David pretends to be insane to save his life as he takes refuge with his enemies for a short period of time. Somebody might say, “That’s clever!”
1.1.1 What about You?
Have you ever had a miraculous save in your life? It could be a tornado, a cancer scare, or a car accident, and there are these times when God’s hand delivers us. When you look back over the moments of your life where you escaped the worst, do you credit your skills or God?
1.1.2 Pilot Sully Sullenberger
Earlier this year marked the 15th anniversary of what many call the “Miracle on the Hudson.” Pilot “Sully” Sullenberger landed U.S. Airways Flight 1549 on January 15, 2009, in the Hudson River when the plane hit a flock of geese after hitting a flock of geese.
When air traffic controllers instructed the seasoned pilot to head for nearby Teterboro Airport, he calmly informed them, “We’re gonna be in the Hudson,” he said simply.3 His actions saved all 155 passengers on board. Later on, federal investigators called it the most successful emergency water landing in history. Here’s where it gets interesting: Sully wrote a book called Highest Duty: My Search for What Really Matters, where he discussed decision-making during the now-famous flight. But there was no crediting God for his deliverance. The book was written to describe “all the forces that molded [him] as a boy, as a man, and as a pilot.” In fact, Sullenberger used religious terminology only twice in the entire 330-page book when he described himself: … once to say he worked as a church janitor, and a second to say he knew a girl through the church choir.4 Sully never says anything like: “God amazingly delivered me that day when He used my hands to land that plane.” Or, “It’s hard to fathom how the Lord used all the years of military experience and commercial pilot time to prepare me for that day. I praise the Lord for His goodness to me.” I don’t want to beat up on a guy that I really like from a distance because he seems to be a nice guy. Yet, when you write a book with the subtitle My Search for What Really Matters, and you don’t really mention God’s handiwork in your life when you land a plane on a river, that says something. I know he’s trained, and I know he’s skilled. But do you mean to tell me that God should receive some credit for this modern-day miracle? If you write 330 pages about your personal crisis, could you NOT include at least one chapter to give credit to God?
My point: when God delivers you, don’t be like Sully. Instead, be like David!
1.1.3 That’s Clever!
Somebody might say, “Look at David’s pretending to be insane, dripping drool from his beard, and say, ‘That’s genius! That’s so clever!’” David will have none of it. David says, “This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him and saved him out of all his troubles” (Psalm 34:6). David doesn’t credit his military training, his parent’s teaching, or even the lessons he learned while killing Goliath. David says, “I am a poor man. The Lord saved me.” He looks back, and he’s grateful for the Lord’s miraculous deliverance in his life. When you look at the significant moments of your life where you escaped the worst, do you credit your skills or God? David shows us how to raise our personal level of praise. David’s worship is creative, intentional, and all-encompassing.
1.2 He’s Delivered Me from A to Z
David is so creative about praising God, that he could tell of God’s amazing deliverance from A to Z!5 Psalm 34 is an acrostic psalm, where each verse begins with a letter of the Hebrew alphabet with one exception (the very last verse). Many of you could say the Lord has delivered me. But could you give twenty-plus praises for how the Lord delivered you? David could. He sat down and carefully thought through his praise to the Lord. David is creative in how he praises God. He organized his worship around each letter of the alphabet so he could remember it better. He did this so he could easily share the credit with others. Raise your personal praise level by being creative.
1.3 A Personal Pledge
David’s worship is also intentional. In fact, David made a personal pledge in verse one: “I will bless the LORD at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth” (Psalm 34:1). God’s mercy is so great that David makes a personal pledge to praise the Lord repeatedly. He says, “I will bless the LORD at all times.” Again, he says, “his praise shall continually be in my mouth.” David uses the words “at all times” and “continually” to describe the amount of praise He offers to the Lord for His handiwork in his life. David makes a public commitment to praise God. Like you would when you put your hand on the Bible to swear to tell the truth. David is creative in how he praises God. David is intentional in how he praises God. That’s how important worship is.
1.4 ALL Encompassing
David’s worship is ALL Encompassing. Four times, David tells you how God saved Him from A L L!
“I sought the LORD, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears” (Psalm 34:4).
“This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him and saved him out of all his troubles” (Psalm 34:6).
“When the righteous cry for help, the LORD hears and delivers them out of all their troubles” (Psalm 34:17).
“Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the LORD delivers him out of them all” (Psalm 34:19).
The Lord delivers me from “all my fears.” The Lord saves me from “all [my] troubles.” The Lord “hears and delivers” me from “all [the] troubles.” And the Lord delivers me from “all [my] afflictions.” Four times, he mentions “all,” “all,” “all,” and “all.” David is creative in how he praises God. David is intentional in how he praises God. David is All-Encompassing in how he praises God. Combine both the discipline of an accountant and the creativity of an artist with the All-Encompassing nature of attention to detail like a surgeon.
1.5 Raise Your Personal Praise
You need to raise your personal praise level by being intentional and creative in your worship.
1.5.1 When Your Successful
When you are young, thank God for your abilities He has given you: My soul makes its boast in the LORD; let the humble hear and be glad” (Psalm 34:2). When you are successful in business, bless the Lord for His kindness to you: “Oh, magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together!” (Psalm 34:3). When you have the love of your family, tell your family: “Those who look to him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed” (Psalm 34:5). It’s like you are saying to your family, “I have reason to praise him, and I want you to join me.” Tell everyone around you, “This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him and saved him out of all his troubles” (Psalm 34:6). It’s like you are saying to your friends and coworkers, “This was my experience, and it can be yours too.” Don’t keep your worship in the worship center! Let your worship out of the closet!
1.5.2 The Word “Praise”
“I will bless the LORD at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth” (Psalm 34:1).
The word “praise” in verse 1 contains the Hebrew word, “Hallel,” which you know from hallelujah. “Hallel” means to brag or boast. When your Texas Rangers won the World Series, you bragged about the Rangers to your friends. Parades and rings were given out to the entire team. When I praise, I brag, and I boast. The words “praise” and hallelujah are connected in Hebrew, but the connection isn’t apparent in English. Speaking of hallelujah, did you know when you say “hallelujah,” you are saying, “I am bragging about God?” Hallelujah has the word “Hallel,” which means to brag with a shortened form of God’s name, “Yahweh.” When you put them together, you are bragging about God!6
Again, when I praise, I brag, and I boast. No wonder verse 2 says, “My soul makes its boast in the LORD; let the humble hear and be glad” (Psalm 34:2). Don’t restrict your hallelujah to the church! Take your praise out for a walk, and let roam the city streets. You need more hallelujahs in your life! Your family needs some more hallelujahs!
1. Raise Your Praise Level
2. Elevate Your Family’s Praise Level
“Come, O children, listen to me;
I will teach you the fear of the LORD” (Psalm 34:11).
Today’s Scripture
Come, O children, listen to me;
I will teach you the fear of the LORD.
What man is there who desires life
and loves many days, that he may see good?
Keep your tongue from evil
and your lips from speaking deceit.
Turn away from evil and do good;
seek peace and pursue it.
The eyes of the LORD are toward the righteous
and his ears toward their cry.
The face of the LORD is against those who do evil,
to cut off the memory of them from the earth.
When the righteous cry for help, the LORD hears
and delivers them out of all their troubles.
The LORD is near to the brokenhearted
and saves the crushed in spirit.
Many are the afflictions of the righteous,
but the LORD delivers him out of them all.
He keeps all his bones;
not one of them is broken.
Affliction will slay the wicked,
and those who hate the righteous will be condemned.
The LORD redeems the life of his servants;
none of those who take refuge in him will be condemned” (Psalm 34:11-22).
2.1 Come
The back half of Psalm 34 reminds you of Proverbs. It has this fatherly tone, and it speaks often of “the fear of the LORD.” Take careful note of the first word of verse 11, “Come.” If I call you up and say, “Come over to my house.” There’s a call in verse 11 that extends for the next the three verses. Some of you have traveled around the globe and have been woken by the Muslim prayer call before sunrise. Others of you can remember the sound of church bells ringing out from the church’s bell tower on Sunday mornings. It’s a call to worship. Imagine if I said to you, “Come on. Get in here. You need this. You were built for this. Let’s worship.” In verse 11, the father says to his children, “Listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the LORD.”
2.2 What is Enteral?
If the Bible is right, there are very few things that are eternal. Your career accomplishments aren’t eternal. Your wealth isn’t eternal. Your marriage isn’t even eternal. Your marriage should last a lifetime, but your marriage isn’t eternal. Your patriotism isn’t eternal. At least one thing lasts for eternity: worship.
2.3 Your Worship Capacity
Let me get personal for a moment with you. There are a lot of ways to measure your capacity in life. A track star can measure her improvements as she runs the 1,000-meter race faster. A business person can track his/her company’s revenue growth quarterly. A soldier can measure his progress when he advances in rank. But how does a believer measure his/her worship capacity? Have you considered how you can improve your worship capabilities? Does worship matter enough for you to explore how to improve your worship capacity? Do you need to personally praise more frequently? Can you personally worship God more often? Have you increased your personal worship duration? Can your personal times of worship go longer? Have you personally considered how to measure your progress in your worship ability? Have you studied how to increase your family’s worship capacity?
2.4 Your Personal Story Matters
Your life story of how Christ saved you is your ultimate hallelujah.
“Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the LORD delivers him out of them all. He keeps all his bones; not one of them is broken” (Psalm 34:19-20).
God never promised a life without suffering, but He did promise deliverance. Praise isn’t just for the good days. Bless the LORD in every season, and watch how it transforms your outlook. Worship is not just for the mountaintops but for the valleys, too. Tell the next generation how the Lord delivered you during your valleys and your mountain tops.
Remember, don’t be like Sully. When God delivers you, give credit to the Lord for His work in your life! You may not have acted crazy like David or landed a plane on the Hudson like Sully, but the Lord has intervened in your life. He’s delivered you.
2.5 Verse 8 Connects to Verse 18
“Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good!
Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!” (Psalm 34:8).
“The LORD is near to the brokenhearted
and saves the crushed in spirit” (Psalm 34:18).
Moms, dads, grandparents, I want you to connect the dots between verse 8 and verse 18.
2.5.1 Taste and See
Moms, dads, grandparents, when the next generation comes to you with a problem, you are tempted to solve it right away. You may throw money at it. You may share a story from your life. But what about inviting them to “taste and see that the LORD is good!?” I cannot “taste and see” secondhand. You can borrow my car, and you can mooch my money, but you cannot pray my prayers. I cannot rent you my worship, no matter how much I love you. I have “taste and see” only for myself. You have to experience the Lord for yourself. Invite your children to experience the Lord personally. Too many people have only prayed another person’s prayer. God’s greatness had sunk down deep inside them.
2.5.2 Near the Brokenhearted
Again, see the connection between verses 8 and 18. When the next generation experiences the Lord, they will know He can be trusted when they are brokenhearted in life. When life seems to be kicking them when they are down, invite them to turn to the Lord. Assure your family that “The LORD is near to the brokenhearted, and [He] saves the crushed in spirit!” Moms and Dads, pray with your children when they are challenged in life.
Teach your family that prayer is a great place to turn to in times of distress. When parents pray with their children, you are giving them a lifelong tool to deal with stress in the lives. They will naturally turn to God in prayer as routine.
Connect the dots between “taste and see” and “The LORD is near to the brokenhearted, and [He] saves the crushed in spirit” for your family. Be creative in how you praise God. Be intentional in how you praise God. Be All-Encompassing in how you praise God.
2.6 Condemned
“The LORD redeems the life of his servants; none of those who take refuge in him will be condemned” (Psalm 34:22). I would sit down with every person I cherish to tell them, “There is a heaven and a hell. God will hold many people guilty. I don’t want you to be one of them. I don’t want you to be ‘condemned.’” I would tell everyone you cherish, “1. God has a design for every aspect of our lives (relationships, work, purpose), and this design is perfect. 2. We all experience brokenness because we turn away from God's design and choose our own way, which leads to pain and disconnection from Him. 3. Jesus came to live the perfect life we couldn’t live, died for our sins, and rose again to restore our relationship with God. It’s only through repentance and faith in Jesus, we can recover and pursue God’s design for our lives.”
EndNotes
1 https://allthatsinteresting.com/vincent-gigante; accessed September 26, 2024. Omitted in the interest of time: But when this ruse was going on, he was anything but insane. He had this strict protocol that no one could say the boss’ name. You only pointed to your chin when you referred to him because of his nickname, “The Chin,” or you formed the letter “C” with your hand in case the cops were listening.
2 Omitted in the interest of time: Now, Abimelech was a king hundreds of years before David. Abraham and Isaac attempted to deceive King Abimelech, the king of the Philistines (Genesis 20, 26). Now, David deceives Achish, the king of the Philistines.
3 https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/sully-sullenberger-performs-miracle-on-the-hudson; accessed September 26, 2024.
4 https://christianfighterpilot.com/2010/09/01/book-review-highest-duty-my-search-for-what-really-matters/#more-5264; accessed September 26, 2024.
5 Dale Ralph Davis, In the Presence of My Enemies: Psalms 25–37 (Ross-shire, Scotland: Christian Focus, 2020), 154.
6 Francis Brown, Samuel Rolles Driver, and Charles Augustus Briggs, “?????,” Enhanced Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon, 1977.
