By Dave Sowders

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Psalm 34:7–10

The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them.

Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!

Oh, fear the LORD, you his saints, for those who fear him have no lack!

The young lions suffer want and hunger; but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.

Where do you go when you want to seek a safe haven, a place to rest and feel secure? For a college student it might be going home for the holidays. For a young child, it might be the arms of his or her mother. For a weary traveler, it might be a comfortable hotel bed. My havens are the Texas Hill Country and the beach.

But even those places can be dangerous at times. Safe haven or shelter is a universal need but very hard to find.

In the first book of Samuel, young David has to flee from Saul, who wanted to kill him. He had to seek shelter in a variety of places and enlisted the help of his friend Jonathan, who was the son of Saul. David was fortunate because God was with him.

Later in life, David drew on this and other experiences to write the book of Psalms. He knew that God provides the only true safe haven.

In Psalm 34, the theme of which is seeking the Lord, David writes of the necessity of seeking God and the benefits it produces.

In verse 7, he writes that the Angel of the Lord, not some run-of-the-mill angel, throws a hedge of protection around those who Fear God and delivers them.

In verse 8, he gets to the heart of the matter, urging us to taste the Lord and find out how good he truly is.

Blessed are those who take refuge in Him.

Think about the ways people seek security, safety and happiness. Some pursuits, golf for example, are harmless except maybe for bystanders when a bad linkster is on the course.  But others, illicit sex, drugs and gambling can bring destruction.

In verse 9, he says those who fear the Lord will have no lack. That doesn’t mean believers get everything, but they do get what they need, both spiritually and materially.

That’s a bold, broad promise for those who count themselves as God’s children.