Psalm 34:15-22

The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their cry. —Psalm 34:15

It was a sad day in May 2003 when “The Old Man of the Mountain” broke apart and slid down the mountainside. This 40-foot profile of an old man’s face, carved by nature in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, had long been an attraction to tourists, a solid presence for residents, and the official state emblem. It was written about by Nathaniel Hawthorne in his short story The Great Stone Face.

Some nearby residents were devastated when The Old Man fell. One woman said, “I grew up thinking that someone was watching over me. I feel a little less watched-over now.”

There are times when a dependable presence disappears. Something or someone we’ve relied on is gone, and our life is shaken. Maybe it’s the loss of a loved one, or a job, or good health. The loss makes us feel off-balance, unstable. We might even think that God is no longer watching over us.

But “the eyes of the LORD are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their cry” (Ps. 34:15). He “is near to those who have a broken heart” (v.18). He is the Rock whose presence we can always depend on (Deut. 32:4).

God’s presence is real. He continually watches over us. He is rock-solid. —Anne Cetas

The Rock of Ages stands secure,

He always will be there;

He watches over all His own

To calm their anxious care. —Keith

The question is not where is God, but where isn’t He?

Bible in a year: Ezra 9-10; Acts 1

Insight

Psalm 34 was written during a difficult time for David, as the superscription indicates: “A Psalm of David when he pretended madness before Abimelech [Achish], who drove him away, and he departed.” Recorded in 1 Samuel 21:1-15, those dark days were not David’s best as a person of faith. First, he had joined Israel’s enemies, the Philistines, as he fled from Saul. Then, when things in Gath (Philistine country) became threatening, David pretended madness to escape. Fear and deceit may not be characteristics of great faith, but they are normal human responses to danger—reminding us of our great need for God.