Text:

"1 I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. 2 My soul will make its boast in the Lord; The humble will hear it and rejoice. 3 O magnify the Lord with me, And let us exalt His name together.

4 I sought the Lord, and He answered me, And delivered me from all my fears. 5 They looked to Him and were radiant, And their faces will never be ashamed.6 This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him And saved him out of all his troubles. 7 The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him, And rescues them.

8 O taste and see that the Lord is good; How blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him! 9 O fear the Lord, you His saints; For to those who fear Him there is no want. 10 The young lions do lack and suffer hunger;
But they who seek the Lord shall not be in want of any good thing. 11 Come, you children, listen to me;
I will teach you the fear of the Lord. 12 Who is the man who desires life and loves length of days that he may see good? 13 Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit. 14 Depart from evil and do good; Seek peace and pursue it. 15 The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous and His ears are open to their cry. 16 The face of the Lord is against evildoers,to cut off the memory of them from the earth. 17 The righteous cry, and the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. 18 The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. 19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous,
But the Lord delivers him out of them all. 20 He keeps all his bones, not one of them is broken. 21 Evil shall slay the wicked, and those who hate the righteous will be condemned. 22 The Lord redeems the soul of His servants, and none of those who take refuge in Him will be condemned."

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Lexicon:

vs. 1 - bless - "to bless, to kneel"

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vs. 1 - all times - "continually, always"

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vs. 1 - continually - "to stretch, daily, always, perpetual"

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vs. 1 - in my mouth - "spoken"

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vs. 2 - make its boast - "to shine, to make boast, to celebrate, glory"

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vs. 4 - sought - "to tread or frequent, to follow, to seek, to worship, to ask"

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vs. 4 - answered - "pay attention, to respond, to hear"

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vs. 4 - delivered - "to snatch away, defend, without fail, preserve, rescue, save"

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vs. 5 - looked - "look intently, to behold, to consider, have respect, regard"

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vs. 5 - radiant - "to sparkle, be cheerful, to flow together, be lightened"

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vs. 5 - face - "face, presence, countenance"

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vs. 5 - ashamed - "disappointed, be brought to confusion, put to shame"

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vs. 7 - encamps - "to incline, to pitch a tent, to abide, to dwell, rest in tent"

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vs. 7 - fear - "to fear, reverent"

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vs. 7 - rescue - "to pull off, to deliver, equip for fight, strengthen, to arm oneself, to draw out"

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vs. 8 - taste - "perceive, to taste, eat"

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vs. 8 - see - "discern, consider, have experiences, perceive"

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vs. 8 - takes refuge - "to flee for protection, to confide in, put trust, have hope"

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vs. 9 - want - "deficiency, impoverishment, lack, need, poor, poverty"

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vs. 10 - want - "to lack, to fail, lessen, decrease, make lower"

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vs. 10 - good - "beautiful, best, bountiful, cheerful, pleasant, sweet, prosperity, bounty, happiness, welfare,

wealth

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vs. 13 - keep - "to guard, to protect, obey"

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vs. 13 - tongue - "instrument of speech, babbler, evil speaker, talker, language"

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vs. 13 - evil - "natural or moral evil, bad, harm, mischievous, trouble, sorrow, wrong, hurtful, heavy, ill-favored,

adversity

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vs. 13 - deceit - "fraud, crafty, false, guile, treachery"

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vs. 14 - depart - "to turn off, decline, leave undone, lay away, be past, pluck away, remove, turn aside, withdraw,

to be without

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vs. 14 - do - "accomplish, become, bring forth, bestow, exercise, fashion, govern, be industrious, labor, maintain,

observe, be occupied, sacrifice, serve, yield 

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vs. 14 - seek - "to search out by any method, specifically in worship and prayer; to strive after, ask, beg, beseech,

procure, make request"

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vs. 14 - peace - "welfare, rest, safety, all is well, wholly, prosperity"

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vs. 14 - pursue - "to run after, chase, follow after, be under persecution"

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vs. 15 - cry - "cry for help, halloing (to cry with a loud voice, shout of exultation, to shout, to incite or chase

something or someone, used to call or answer someone)"

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vs. 18 - troubles - "tightness, a female rival, adversary, affliction, anguish, distress, tribulation"

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vs. 18 - near - "near in place, kindred in time, allied, at hand"

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vs. 18 - broken - "crush, destroy, hurt, tear, to burst"

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vs. 18 - heart - "the feelings, the will and the intellect, the center of anything"

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vs. 18 - saves - "to free, to be safe, avenging, defend, deliver, preserve, rescue, get victory"

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vs. 19 - many - "abundant, enough, exceedingly, too very much, mighty, plenteous, oftentimes"

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vs. 22 - redeems - "to sever, to ransom, to release, preserve, deliver, rescue"

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vs. 22 - condemned - "to be guilty, to perish, be punished, desolate, destroy, trespass, hold guilty"

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What does this reveal about God's character?

He is inclined to me. He longs to lighten me and deliver me from my distress.  As I chase after Him, He will provide for me and meet my needs. He heals my crushed spirit and delivers my soul. He has redeemed and saved me so that I will not be held guilty for my sin.

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Questions:

1) Am I daily blessing, kneeling before and seeking the Lord?  If not, then why?  Do I need to align my heart to His and pray He will fill me with a desire to worship and seek Him? Do I need to reevaluate my priorities and make Him number one in my life?

2) Do I fear I will be disappointed by the Lord?  

3) Do I fear being in lack more than I fear the Lord?

4) Do I keep my mouth from speaking hurtful, deceitful and evil things?

5) Am I pursuing the Lord, even while under persecution?

6) Do I believe the Lord is near to me?

7) Have I received the salvation of the Lord?  If not, please visit our Resources page.

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Prayer:

Father God, I bow before you today and surrender myself to your awesome name - the name that is above every name.  Lord, examine my heart and give me an unquenchable desire to chase after you all the days of my life. Father, equip me for the fight over my soul.  I will cling to you. Lord, no matter what I go through, you are always by my side and ready to rescue me without fail.  I have tasted and seen that you are good, O Lord, through every circumstance of my life.  Thank you for your faithfulness and steadfast love.  Lord, cleanse my heart and my mouth - let the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable to you, Lord (Ps. 19:14).  Rid my heart and mind of any evil or perverse thought and word.  Forgive me for speaking hurtful and evil words over others and over myself.  I thank you for rescuing me from my distress and anguish.  You are the lover of my soul and the healer of my crushed and broken spirit. Lord, help me to trust in you and seek you through the plentiful times of affliction that will come my way.  I choose you - every time.  In Jesus' name, Amen!

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