I would like to take a moment to have all readers rise with me and thank my wife. Without her, I would not have thought to break this formidable treatise on Psalm 34 into two parts—“Thank you, dear." Please be seated.
Years ago, I delivered coffee and bottled water products for a company out of Elgin, Illinois. After helping to set up a new account in a small, rented, modular building (it resembled a cross between a trailer home and the caboose of a freight train), I followed up a few weeks later, making a second delivery.
Conversation was buzzing among the dozen or so employees as I asked the young man to kindly sign my delivery ticket. He saw the moment, seizing an opportunity.
“How much money do you make?” he asked. “I knew where he was going, and didn’t think it was any of his business, so I truthfully replied, “An adequate hourly wage.”
He tried getting the specific amount a few more times before abandoning his effort.
“If you sold _______for me, you could make $100,000 a year. I’m making tons of money myself,” he said unconvincingly. I thought to myself, “Yeah, you’re making so much money in sales that you’re an office clerk just for fun.”
He went on and on with the transparent embellishment until my soul simply could not take it anymore. I felt a geyser of words springing forth from my belly, with authority and volume.
“Son, money didn’t buy my salvation!”
It was one of those E. F. Hutton moments. Everyone had simultaneously stopped conversing and all heard. I looked dumbfounded at the youth and pointing, said, “I’ll need your signature here please.”
He signed, looking confused in the process, as though thinking deeply about something. The group conversation started up again and I left.
I returned three weeks later to meet with the police, who told me the company had literally moved out in the middle of the night.
What gave me peace to speak so boldly? The God of the Word. Like then, as now—spoken or written. It’s that very Word that tells us how necessary words will be provided for us when we have need of them (Luke 12: [11] And when they bring you unto the synagogues, and unto magistrates, and powers, take ye no thought how or what thing ye shall answer, or what ye shall say: [12] For the Holy Ghost shall teach you in the same hour what ye ought to say—KJV).
It has been poetically said, “Whatever is down in the well comes up in the bucket, “ and as Jesus said, ‘Out of the abundance of man’s heart his mouth speaks” (Luke 6:45). My well had the Word of God in it—the peace that salvation is. The words are peace to those that drink of them and speak of them—and peace comes to those who apply those words in their lives.
On another matter, our daughter will tell you that I never fail to brag on her when given a chance (and sometimes I’ve been known to make chances to do so). I don’t do it to build her up—or myself for that matter—but that the Father that helped me with her upbringing may be glorified.
David tells us that his soul shall make its boast in the Lord, and doing that brings us peace because it reminds us of how kept we are by a sovereign God—and how we don’t have to rely upon ourselves to do the job.
Coming up—Part II.
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