When a just screams

"The righteous cry, and Jehovah hears, and delivers them out of all their trouble." Psalm 34. 17

Psalm 34, however, begins with a verse that speaks of praise and not of distress : "Magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together" (v.3). The author (David) immediately says : "I have sought the Lord ; and he answered me, and delivered me from all my fears "(v. 4).

"Of all my fears" : this includes moments of discomfort, and perhaps sometimes of great discomfort. They can arrive anytime and to anyone. "When an unhappy man cries, the LORD hears, and saves him from all his troubles" (v. 6, NEG).

Who is the right here ? The context of the Psalms makes it possible to say that it is about someone who loves and practices the will of God, and who confides in God. He confides in God ... and yet he is in distress. We read a little further : "The evils of the righteous are in great numbers". So he's screaming. Why is he screaming ? Because God is deaf ? No ! But because his great suffering prevents him from concentrating and finding the words to pray; he can just scream to express his suffering and call for help. "Almighty Lord, if you do not act, I am lost !". We who have been made righteous by Jesus Christ, do we recognize here ? Is it not useful to know that such moments can occur in the lives of those who love the Lord and trust in Him ? Many servants of God have experienced it.

Jesus himself shouted, and yet he was without sin. "In the days of his flesh," he offered, "with great cries and with tears, prayers and supplications to him who could save him from death" (Heb 5. 7). To fulfill our salvation, he had assumed a condition similar to ours. And he made himself addicted. He learned obedience, yes! him, Jesus !

To shout is to lose all illusions about oneself, all pride. It's dying, in a sense. It is already the cry of conversion, a cry that will mark our journey with the Lord ; and that precedes the praise. But we do not praise God only when all is well. It is praised because it is right and good at all times, whether you see it or not. Do we believe it ?

Source (Pleasing the Lord)