The Closer I Get

Psalm 34:1–10 “I will bless the Lord at all times: His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make her boast in the Lord: The humble shall hear thereof, and be glad. O magnify the Lord with me, And let us exalt his name together. I sought the Lord, and he heard me, And delivered me from all my fears. They looked unto him, and were lightened: And their faces were not ashamed. This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him, And saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the Lord encampeth Round about them that fear him, and delivereth them. O taste and see that the Lord is good: Blessed is the man that trusteth in him. O fear the Lord, ye his saints: For there is no want to them that fear him. The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: But they that seek the Lord shall not want any good thing.”

Purpose

The closer we grow to God, the more our lives are transformed—because praise draws us in, seeking keeps us near, and trust anchors us through every season.

Introduction

Family, one of the greatest tragedies in the church is when people settle for knowing about God without ever growing close to Him.

There are people who know church language but don’t know intimacy with God. People who know how to attend worship but have never really encountered His presence. People who know religion but have not developed relationship.

But the beautiful thing about God is that He does not merely invite us into ritual—He invites us into relationship.

And the closer you get to God, the more your life changes.

Your perspective changes. Your peace changes. Your confidence changes. Your priorities change. Your responses change.

Because proximity to God transforms people.

That’s what Psalm 34 is really about.

David is not writing this psalm from comfort. He’s writing after surviving fear, humiliation, and danger.

The superscription tells us this comes after David escaped from the Philistines by pretending to be insane.

The future king had to act crazy just to survive.

Can you imagine the emotional weight of that? The pressure? The fear? The embarrassment?

And yet after God brings him through, David comes out praising.

Not bitter. Not cynical. Not broken beyond repair.

He comes out saying: “I will bless the LORD at all times.”

And what David shows us is this: When you get close to God, hardship may change your circumstances, but it does not have to poison your spirit.

David teaches us a progression. A spiritual movement. A pathway into deeper intimacy with God.

First, we praise Him. Then we seek Him. Then we learn to trust Him fully.

And the closer we get, the more transformed we become.

1. Praise Him for Who He Is and What He Has Done

Psalm 34:1–3 “I will bless the Lord at all times: His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make her boast in the Lord: The humble shall hear thereof, and be glad. O magnify the Lord with me, And let us exalt his name together.”

“I will bless the LORD at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth.”

Notice the language: “At all times.”

That means David has decided praise will not be seasonal.

Not just when things are working. Not just when prayers are answered immediately. Not just when money is good. Not just when the family is acting right. Not just when doors are opening.

“At all times.”

Church, mature believers learn how to praise God in every season.

Now let’s be honest: Some seasons make praise easier than others.

There are moments where praise flows naturally. And then there are moments where worship has to fight through pain.

But David says: “His praise shall continually be in my mouth.”

Why?

Because praise is rooted in who God is, not merely in what life feels like.

Can I testify for a minute?

When I think about:

the doors God opened,

the dangers God blocked,

the mistakes God covered,

the nights God kept me,

the mercy God showed me,

the grace God extended to me,

…I realize I owe God praise.

And some of you know exactly what I mean.

You’ve had to praise God through tears. Praise God while grieving. Praise God while healing. Praise God while waiting. Praise God while trying to hold yourself together.

But somehow you kept worshipping anyway.

That’s resilient praise.

That’s worship that has survived pressure.

David says: “My soul makes its boast in the LORD.”

In other words: “If I’m going to brag, I’m bragging on God.”

Can I tell you something? Your testimony matters.

Because when hurting people hear what God has done for you, hope starts rising in them.

That’s why the old saints testified. Not for attention. But because testimony builds faith.

When somebody says: “He healed my body,” faith rises.

When somebody says: “He brought me through,” hope rises.

When somebody says: “He kept me in my right mind,” somebody else starts believing: “Maybe God can keep me too.”

And then David says: “Oh magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together!”

David says: “This praise is too big to keep to myself.”

Family, there are some blessings that require corporate praise.

That’s why worship matters. That’s why gathering matters. That’s why church matters.

Because sometimes your strength gets renewed in a room full of people magnifying God together.

Full Gospel Lift

“When I think about His goodness… When I think about His mercy… When I think about the times I almost gave up… The times I almost lost my mind… The times I should’ve been broken… Something rises up in my spirit and says: ‘I will bless the LORD at all times!’”

Transition

But here’s what happens: The more you praise God… …the more hungry you become for God.

Because praise creates pursuit.

2. Seek His Glory and His Presence

Psalm 34:4–7 “I sought the Lord, and he heard me, And delivered me from all my fears. They looked unto him, and were lightened: And their faces were not ashamed. This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him, And saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the Lord encampeth Round about them that fear him, and delivereth them.”

“I sought the LORD, and he answered me…”

David moves from praise into pursuit.

At first he is praising God for what God has done. But now he starts longing for God Himself.

And there is a difference between wanting blessings and wanting presence.

Immature faith says: “Lord, give me things.”

Maturing faith says: “Lord, give me You.”

David says: “I sought the LORD.”

That word means:

pursued,

searched for,

chased after.

David leaned toward God.

And church, that’s what seeking really is. It is the soul leaning toward God.

Can I ask you something? Where do you lean when life gets heavy?

Some people lean into anxiety. Some lean into distractions. Some lean into bitterness. Some lean into control.

But David says: “I sought the LORD.”

And watch this: “He answered me.”

God still responds to hungry hearts.

Not perfect people. Hungry people.

People who say: “Lord, I need You more than I need appearances. More than applause. More than comfort. More than success.”

Verse 5 says: “Those who look to him are radiant.”

That means something changes when you keep your eyes on God.

God starts restoring joy. Restoring peace. Restoring confidence. Restoring dignity.

The world says: “You are what happened to you.”

But God says: “You belong to Me.”

Then David gets deeply personal: “This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him.”

I love that.

The king calls himself poor.

David says: “I was weak. I was vulnerable. I needed help.”

And the beautiful thing is: God heard him anyway.

Can I encourage somebody?

God hears weak prayers. God hears exhausted prayers. God hears emotional prayers. God hears prayers prayed through tears. God hears prayers you can barely whisper.

And then verse 7: “The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him.”

Encamps. Military language.

In other words: God surrounds His people.

You thought you were exposed. You thought you were abandoned. You thought you were by yourself.

But heaven had already surrounded you.

Full Gospel Lift

“There comes a point where money ain’t enough… Titles ain’t enough… Success ain’t enough… You start crying: ‘Lord, I need Your presence. I need Your glory. I need Your direction. I need Your power. I need You.’”

Transition

And when you spend enough time seeking God… You start learning His character.

And when you learn His character… You start trusting Him differently.

3. Trust Him in Every Situation

Psalm 34:8–10 “O taste and see that the Lord is good: Blessed is the man that trusteth in him. O fear the Lord, ye his saints: For there is no want to them that fear him. The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: But they that seek the Lord shall not want any good thing.”

“Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good!”

David says: “Don’t just hear about God. Experience Him.”

Taste. Encounter. Participate.

Because faith is more than information. It is relationship built through experience.

And the more David walked with God, the more confidence he developed in God.

He had seen God:

protect him,

deliver him,

sustain him,

answer him,

keep him alive.

So now David trusts God differently.

Church, trust grows through relationship.

The reason some people trust God deeply is because they have history with Him.

They’ve seen Him make ways. Seen Him heal. Seen Him provide. Seen Him restore. Seen Him carry them through impossible seasons.

That’s why David says: “The LORD is good.”

Not occasionally good. Not accidentally good. Consistently good.

And then David says: “Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.”

Everybody runs to something.

Some run to money. Some run to relationships. Some run to status. Some run to control.

But David says: “Blessed are those who run to God.”

Then he says: “Those who fear him have no lack.”

This does not mean believers never struggle.

David struggled.

But it means God sustains His people.

And then verse 10: “The young lions suffer want and hunger, but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.”

Even lions get hungry.

Even strong people have limits. Even gifted people have limits. Even wealthy people have limits.

But God remains faithful.

Full Gospel Lift

“When you’ve seen God make a way out of no way… When you’ve seen Him put food on the table… When you’ve seen Him hold your family together… When you’ve seen Him keep your mind… Bring you through grief… Bring you through sickness… Bring you through betrayal… At some point your spirit settles and says: ‘If God brought me through that… I can trust Him with this.’”

Gospel Connection

Ultimately, Psalm 34 points us to Jesus.

Jesus is the righteous sufferer who trusted the Father fully.

At the cross, Christ entered suffering, shame, rejection, and death so we could enter refuge, grace, and relationship with God.

Through Jesus:

we gain access to the Father,

we experience God’s presence,

we receive the Holy Spirit,

we learn to trust God deeply.

And because Jesus rose from the dead, we know trouble never gets the final word.

Conclusion / Celebration

Family, the closer you get to God, the more your life changes.

Praise draws you closer. Seeking takes you deeper. Trust holds you steady.

And some of us can testify: The more I praised Him… …the more I wanted to seek Him.

The more I sought Him… …the more I learned His heart.

And the more I learned His heart… …the more I trusted Him with everything.

Because when you walk with God long enough, you discover: He really is faithful.

He really is good. He really does hear prayer. He really does keep His people. He really does make ways. He really does sustain us.

And if He kept you before… He can keep you again.

If He made a way before… He can make a way again.

If He answered before… He can answer again.

So bless the LORD at all times. Seek Him with your whole heart. And trust Him in every situation.

Because the closer you get to God… …the stronger your faith becomes.”