I Sought The Lord And He Heard Me| Psalm 34:4.
- Karen O'Reilly
- Sep 13, 2023
- 8 min read
Welcome to Day 25. for one of our short powerful devotions from the 31 Bible Verses About Practicing The Presence Of God. This short devotional is based on Psalm 34:4.
Read Psalm 34:4.
David wrote this Psalm. We know David as the shepherd boy who fought Goliath the giant because he was not afraid of him when all the soldiers were terrified of him, and he knew that God was with him.
We know that David was chosen by God to become the king of Israel. It was not an easy road to this kingdom. Saul the king of that time sought to murder David.
We also know David who became king and committed adultery with Bathsheba. David also organized for Bathsheba's husband to be killed in battle.
Do you know how God sees David?
David did repent of all his sins and he did seek God continually. I find it fascinating that in Acts 13:22, David is described as:
I sought the Lord
It was during one of the many times that David was being pursued by his enemies that he wrote Psalm 34.
David had witnessed God's faithfulness on many occasions. Even though he had seen God work on his behalf, on this occasion he was still afraid.
But David was disciplined in regularly seeking God and as soon as fear overcame him, he instantly sought the Lord and David tells us in Psalm 34:4 that God did 2 things for him:
God answered David's prayer.
He delivered David from all his fears.
Do you ever wonder, ' Does God hear my prayers?'
Join me below for a short devotional seeking the Lord and knowing just like David did that God hears our prayers. God hears our cries. He truly listens to us. Join me at the bottom of the post for prayer too.
I Sought The Lord And He Heard Me
God hears your prayers. I know that to be a true statement because He has heard my prayers.
I marvel at how God answers my prayers. They are never the answer that I would expect or would have planned. I am so grateful that God is a good Father and He bends down to listen to our prayers.
Did you know that our prayers are described as incense, a pleasing aroma to God?
Throughout my life, I have prayed for various things, some of which were essential while others, in hindsight, seemed less important. Looking back, I am grateful that God didn't always grant my requests. If He had, I wouldn't have found the happiness I now share in my marriage with a wonderful man of God. I've also experienced unexpected job opportunities, and I vividly remember a time when God answered my desperate prayers and relieved me from a highly stressful work environment.
God answered my prayer in such a way that my confidence was restored. Within my new work environment, I was still doing a similar role but I was seen as an expert in my field, while in my previous position in another department, I was seen as worthless! Only God can cause such a turn-around!
Another prayer was for my boy (he is 22yrs now!) but in his early years, he had a horrible learning issue. It was a form of dyslexia that my husband also used to suffer from. I learned to pray scripture over them and when my son turned 13, he told me that God had healed him. His vocabulary and sentences all made sense. He no longer had comprehension issues!
Deliverance from Fear:
One of the most powerful aspects of this verse is the assurance of God's deliverance from fear. Fear can be paralyzing, robbing us of joy and peace. But when we entrust our worries and anxieties to the Lord, He grants us the courage to face our fears with confidence.
Overcoming fear in the bible
What does the Bible say about overcoming fear?
God is good. God is love and perfect love casts out fear.
1 John 4:18.
God delivers us from our fears when we renew our minds through reading scripture and invite Him in prayer to let the truth of His words soak into our hearts. That is what David did in Psalm 34:4 and God delivered him from all his fears. God loves you and me. He does not want us to be afraid. When we know the power and authority that we have in Jesus' name, fear can be extinguished.
Here are 2 other Bible plans that you may be interested in. They will help you to comprehend how loved you truly are by God and the authority that you have in Christ.
Application
Tips on how to apply Psalm 34:4 to your life.
Seek God in prayer: Develop a habit of seeking God in prayer during both good and challenging times. Pour out your heart to Him, knowing that He is attentive to your cries.
Trust God's response: When you seek God, trust that He will respond in His perfect timing and according to His loving wisdom. His answer might not always be what we expect, but it will always be for our ultimate good.
Surrender your fears: Identify the fears that are troubling you and surrender them to the Lord. Allow His peace to guard your heart and mind, knowing that He is in control of every situation.
God hears our prayers Bible verses
Here are some encouraging Bible verses that will encourage your heart that God hears your prayers.
Psalm 116:1-2 "I love the Lord because he hears my voice and my prayer for mercy. Because he bends down to listen, I will pray as long as I have breath!" God hears us! God loves to bend down and listen to us. In the original language the word 'listens' means to 'incline or strain'. God inclines or strains His ears to hear us when we pray. God wants to know all that concerns you and that includes the good, the bad, and the ugly parts of our lives.
Psalm 17:6 "I have called upon You, for You will hear me, O God; Incline Your ear to me, and hear my speech." Expect God to be listening to you.
Psalm 6:9 "The Lord has heard my plea; the Lord will answer my prayer."
1 John 5:14 "Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us." You can have confidence that God hears you. Scripture is a powerful tool to use in prayer. You will find some tips on 'How to Pray Scripture: From Beginner To Pro In No Time!' HERE This is an article that I wrote for praywithconfidence.com.
Hebrews 4:16 "Let us, therefore, come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need." We never have to be afraid of God. We should have reverential fear, meaning that we have respectful awe, of Him. But God does not want us to lack confidence when we come to Him in prayer. We can come fearlessly and boldly to the throne of grace.
Prayers go up blessings come down
One last thought that I want to share with you today is that the phrase 'prayers go up blessings come down' is true. I have seen it play out in my life numerous times. When we seek God and give Him our concerns and fears, He will fill us with His peace, joy, love, and a sound mind.
During my research for this post about seeking God and giving Him all our concerns in prayer to Him, I found this wonderful encouraging article HERE. It is about George Muller and his orphanage in the U.K. One morning the children were hungry but the cabinets were bare. There was no food or money to buy some. But George Muller was full of faith and he asked God to provide. God did indeed provide and you can read the story here.
God hears our prayers and He listens to them. God answers our prayers and petitions. God wants to intervene in all aspects of our lives. Seek God often, as David did. Lay down your fears before Him. An amazing thing happens when we give God our fears. God infuses us with His faith, hope, and love.
Now if you want to go deeper with God and hear what He is saying to you download our free guided prayer journal to help you sit still and seek God's presence. You will find it in our Resource Library.
Today's devotional is based on Psalm 34:4 which is from our Practicing The Presence Of God: 31 Presence Of God Scriptures Plan. You will find a free printable PDF of 31 scriptures about God's presence in the Resource Library. It has a bible reading plan, guided prayer, and gratitude journal. Download this free printable or grab a notebook and answer the following questions.
What is God saying to you through this verse?
What burdens do you need to surrender to God and trust Him with?
Write out your prayer request.
What are you grateful for today? Count your blessings!
Write out the scripture verse, it helps you to memorize the scripture and store up God's truth in your heart.
Then in the last section of the prayer journal, there is space to record what God is speaking to you through our bible verse today, Psalm 34:4.
I sought the Lord Prayer
We are called to pray without ceasing. That means we can talk with God at any time and in any place. This is a great way to practice the presence of God. Praying scripture is a powerful way to pray so join me in praying Psalm 34:4.
Thank You Father that I can come to You at any time about anything. You love to bend down and listen to me! Help me to remember how loved I am by You and that I can safely place all my fears into Your hands. Help me to trust You with my problems and to leave them in Your care. Today I am most fearful about:_________. I lay this burden before You and ask that You will work on my behalf and fill me with Your faith, hope and love. Amen.
Related Resources:
1. You will find Practicing The Presence Of God: 31 Presence Of God Scriptures HERE. It will have the list of 31 Bible verses that we are using for 31 days that our short powerful daily devotionals are based on.
2. If you want to dive a bit deeper into this topic of practicing the presence of God, you will enjoy our printable Bible study. Read all about it HERE.
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xx Karen.
