Finding Joy in the Valleys

Diving into Psalms 34:1-22 reveals powerful truths about blessing God in all circumstances and experiencing His transformative joy. The chapter challenges us to shift our perspective on difficult seasons and recognize them as purposeful preparation from God.

• Blessing the Lord "at all times" means praising Him even in valleys, recognizing His purpose in difficult seasons
• We often take credit for achievements instead of proclaiming God's greatness working through us
• When we seek the Lord and He answers, it naturally produces visible joy that others can see
• Our faces reveal our spiritual condition—whether we've been spending time with God or not
• Those who genuinely look to God become "radiant with joy" with faces that are never ashamed
• A genuine encounter with God produces a joy that cannot be contained

Get into God's Word today. Let Him use you, guide you, and bring joy to your face that tells a different story to the world.

Chapters

• 0:00 Invitation to Read Psalms 34
• 1:01 Blessing God in All Seasons
• 2:16 Proclaiming God's Greatness Within
• 4:12 Faces Radiant with Joy
• 6:21 Commitment to Seeking the Lord

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:10

Good morning, guys. It's Monday and we are here on Word Up getting a later posting today, normally first thing in the morning. But the question is have you spent time in God's Word today? But the question is, have you spent time in God's Word today? If you haven't, pause right now, go to Psalms 34 1-22, verses 1-22. Read that and come back and let's see what you got out of it. I'm going to be honest, I'm going to be just in the first five verses.

Speaker 1: 0:44

This morning, right out of the gate, god just really revealed himself to me and it truly is a blessing to see God's promises and what David was doing here. In verse 1, it says I will bless the Lord at all times. I will bless the Lord at all times. Can we say that we're truly doing that? Not just when things are going good or when they're going the way that I want them to go, but at all times. Guys, we've got to find a way to praise God, even in the valleys, knowing that he has a purpose for the valley that we're in. When we find a way to see God at work, even in those valleys, you know, the valley no longer seems like a valley because we're now seeing a holy God at work instead of just our current place in a broken world. No matter the situation you're in, guys, see where God is at work, see what he's showing you. What is he preparing you for? When you can truly focus on? Hey, this situation that I'm in is not just a dark place. It is a test that God's putting me through. It is a teaching moment. He is preparing me to do big things. When you can shift your mindset to what God's doing and not be focused on the world, it changes everything.

Speaker 1: 2:17

You look at verse 3. Verse 3 says Proclaim the Lord's greatness within me. Let's exalt His name together. When's the last time you proclaimed the Lord's greatness within me? Let's exalt His name together. When's the last time you proclaimed the Lord's greatness in you? Do you make it a natural part of your day to share with others what God is doing in your life, or are we only sharing what we've done? Man, that one will step all over you. Done man, that one will step all over you?

Speaker 1: 2:50

I think about how many times we talk about things in our life and ultimately we take the credit for it. But it was all because God prepared us, god gave us the gifts, the talents God put that person on our heart. And sometimes I feel like we get excited about things and we share the good things going on in our life. We're quick to call a friend or our parents or whoever to share about a good situation, but we fail to give God the credit and the glory for what he did to bring that about, for what he did, how he prepared us to be able to accomplish that. Make sure that you're giving that. You're proclaiming god's greatness in you.

Speaker 1: 3:32

And then, looking at at verse four, it says I sought the lord and he answered and rescued me from all my fears. I sought the lord. That's the first part. Right there we've got to seek him. But let me tell you something when you seek out God and he answers you and he rescues you, there's no chance that you're not sharing that with others. There's no chance that you don't look like what it says in verse 5. Those who look to him are radiant with joy. Their faces will never be ashamed. When you seek the Lord and he answers, your face is going to be joyful. You're going to have a whole different look about you because you've just experienced God. Does your face today say I saw Jesus or does it show worry, anxiety and despair? If I walked up to you right now, what would I see? Would I see somebody who has sought the Lord and experienced Him?

Speaker 1: 4:37

This past Sunday or yesterday, I had a group of guys in the office and we were just digging into God's Word, sharing Scripture and talking about our week. I asked them, I said tell me how you've experienced God this week, or tell me somebody that you've shared Jesus with. Have you been sharing? And ultimately, just like for me as well, if I haven't been serious about my relationship this week, if I haven't truly been in God's Word, I probably haven't experienced Him. And so those who know they hadn't really invested that time, they immediately would look down or kind of shy away from the question. But as I looked around the room, there was a young man sitting across from me and immediately had the biggest smile pop up on his face. As soon as I saw the smile, I knew that he had experienced God. I knew that he had shared with somebody this week what God meant to him and what God had been doing in his life, that immediate joy, just like we see in verse 5 there that those who look to him are radiant with joy. This young man had been looking to Christ. He had had the opportunity to share what God had done in his life and he was radiant with joy.

Speaker 1: 6:07

Whenever we don't spend time with God, it shows on our face. I can walk up to someone and I can start a gospel conversation and you can immediately tell by the look on their face whether or not they've been alone with God. Guys, when we do this, when we spend time with Him, you can't contain the joy and the happiness. If you're struggling through life right now, if you feel like I'm miserable, I hate my job, I hate my school, I hate my team, as I'm just telling you, come back to this scripture right here.

Speaker 1: 6:50

Look at what God can do. Go in here and make a commitment. Just try it. I will bless the Lord at all times. His praise will be on my lips. I will seek the Lord. He will answer me. He will rescue me from my fears and when I'm looking at him, I'm going to be radiant with joy. If you will truly make that commitment to call out his praises, proclaim the greatness that he has put in you, seek him with everything you've got. I promise you, your face is going to tell a different story in the days to come. I love you guys. Get in God's word. Let him use you, let him guide you and let him bring joy to your face tomorrow.