Continuous Praise

7/19/2025

Elijah McSwain, Sr.

Psalm 34:1 NKJV-I will bless the LORD at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.

Psalm 34 is attributed to David as a psalm written by him. The superscription of Psalm 34 provides the historical background of a specific moment that David reflected on in his life. This tremendous experience in his life is connected to 1 Samuel 21:10-15, where he was in distress as he fled from Saul's pursuit. In his attempt to escape from Saul, David sought safety in Gath's providence, where he met the king of Gath, Achish. In Psalm 34, Achish is referred to as Abimelech, which scholars suggest is a title or alternative name given to the Philistine ruler of Gath. This psalm reflects the fear that David developed for Abimelech, as described in 1 Samuel 21:10-15. David pretended to be insane because he was afraid of the king of Gath. David scratched on the doors of the gate and let his saliva fall on his bread in a manner to portray a pretense of insanity.

John MacArthur documented, “David feared for his life, lacked trust in God to deliver him, and feigned insanity to persuade Achish to send him away. Drooling in one’s beard was considered in the East an intolerable indignity, as was spitting in another’s beard.” 1 In Psalm 34, David reflected on a past encounter in his life and penned throughout this psalm that he would bless the Lord and praise the Lord (vv. 1-2) in connection with the Lord delivering him from all his fears (v. 4). Praise is the main theme of Psalm 34, and as we examine this biblical passage written by David, let's analyze his declaration of continuous praise.

Praise Is Personal

This passage begins with the declaration, “I will bless the Lord.” “I” is considered a nominative singular pronoun, through which the writer refers to his position as the one who renders praise to the Lord.

 David demonstrated that praise was a personal matter of his heart. Out of the overflow of his heart came praise.

Therefore, he resolved to bless the Lord, who was the object of his praise. Praise is the means of esteeming the Lord, giving thanks, admiration, reverence, and paying homage. Praise is an expression of glorifying God. David’s proclamation exemplified a lifestyle characterized by overflowing praise and glory to God. The core of his posture to praise the Lord was a heart filled with gratitude for the Lord’s goodness and merciful acts evident in his life. Inevitably, personal praise springs forth from a grateful heart.

Gratefulness through personal praise is directed toward the One who deserves our praise. To the One, who is deserving, we should offer our praise. The Lord is worthy of being praised as He has done great things in the frame of our lives. In Psalm 103:1-2 (NKJV) David avowed, “Bless the LORD, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name! Bless the LORD, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits.” The entirety of our inner being should bless the Lord as we magnify His marvelous wonders and deeds.

Charles Spurgeon wrote David “is resolved and fixed, “I will;” he is personally and for himself determined, let others do as they may; he is intelligent in head and inflamed in heart—he knows to whom the praise is due, and what is due, and for what and when. To Jehovah, and not to second causes our gratitude is to be rendered. The Lord hath by right a monopoly in his creatures’ praise.” 2

The psalmist has personally resolved in his heart to admire the works of his God and Deliverer. Like David, every believer should have a personal anthem of praise. William Doane penned, "Praise the Lord, Praise the Lord, Let the earth hear His voice! Praise the Lord, Praise the Lord, let the people rejoice! O come to the Father through Jesus the Son and give Him the glory, great things He hath done." 3 Psalm 146:2 (NKJV) declares, “While I live I will praise the LORD; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.” With every breath that we breathe, we should praise Him. Psalm 150:6 (NKJV) remarks, “Let everything that has breath, praise the Lord.” With our very being, we should praise Him. With our whole hearts, we should praise Him personally as Christians. Psalm 33:1 (KJV) mentions, “Rejoice in the LORD, O ye righteous: for praise is comely for the upright.”

Personal praise is fitting, suitable, appropriate, practical, and should be actively present in the lives of the righteous.

Praise Is Continuous

David affirmed, “I will bless the Lord at all times.” At all times, signify that praise is not conditional, but it is continuous.

Praise is not limited to only the pleasant, favorable, or convenient moments in life. Praise to God from His children is still expected during times of calamity, despair, uncertainty, adversity, devastation, and hardship.

We need to learn to praise our way through circumstances, as we know that peace, tranquility, and deliverance are on the other side of our troubling moments. Psalm 23:4 (NKJV) highlights, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.” Paul Morton wrote these lyrics:

"Press my way through

Press my way through

I can't give up now

I must press my way through

Press my way through

Press my way through

God has something waiting

If I press my way through." 4

In David’s times of difficulties, he sought the Lord. Psalm 34:4 (NKJV) proclaimed, “I sought the LORD, and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.” In many cases, fear, discontentment, frustration, irritation, agony, anguish, and lack of trust in God suppress our praise. Maybe this psalm is a form of redemption, in the sense that David’s encounter with Saul and the king of Gath in 1 Samuel could have disquieted his soul and made him appear insane; but now he has declared that regardless of his circumstances, he will bless the Lord at all times in Psalm 34 upon the realization of who God is in any situation. Charles Ward Smith summarizes that David is pointing out that this action of pretending to be a madman was prompted by fear. His fear caused him to act out of impulse due to the fear of man being a snare. David was afraid of King Achish, and his fear reduced him to a slobbering man who pretended to be insane. The fear of man will reduce our actions when fear grips our hearts. Proverbs 29:25 informs us that, “The fear of man is a snare, but whoso puts his trust in the Lord shall be safe.” 5

Trust in the Lord suppresses the fear of man. Trust in the Lord leads to the element of praise.

Albert Barnes noted that, “in every situation of life; in every event that occurs. The idea is, that he would do it publicly and privately; in prosperity and in adversity; in safety and in danger; in joy and in sorrow. It would be a great principle of his life, expressive of the deep feeling of his soul, that God was always to be regarded as an object of adoration and praise.” 6 Praise should be continual for the believer in all circumstances because the Lord is unaffected by our circumstances. When times are good, He is still God. When times are unpleasant, He is still God. We should praise Him because He is with us during our difficult times in life. We should glorify Him as we understand what He is capable of doing in our times of despair. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NKJV) instructs the people of God to “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” Joy, rejoicing, our display of satisfaction in God, and our exhibition of trust in the Lord are fitting at all times.

As Tommy Higle mentions, “we must learn to be good stewards of our pain.” 7

The idea of being a good steward of our pain helps us to find the purpose in our pain and causes us to rely on the source of our perseverance in times of adversity. Romans 8:28 (NKJV) declares, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. As the songwriter expressed, “I will bless the Lord and all times, and His praises shall continue to be in my mouth.” 8

Praise Is Vocal

David declares, “I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.” Praise from his heart would continually flow through his mouth at all times.

His mouth would speak the praises of the Lord from the depths of his soul.

David was committed to praising God with the fruit of his lips. Therefore, he proclaimed that his praise would be vocal. Hebrews 13:15 (NKJV) advises believers to “Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.” Warren Wiersbe vocalized, “the words of praise from our lips, coming from our hearts, are like beautiful fruit present on the altar. We can easily complain when we are suffering; instead, we should give thanks.” 9 Praise should freely flow from our lips to the Lord. Psalm 54:6 mentions, “I will freely sacrifice to You; I will praise Your name, O Lord, for it is good.” Praise should be freely expressed to God in the appropriate manner that He desires according to His Word.

Praise to God should be offered voluntarily as a genuine expression of joy, gratitude, respect, reverence, and thankfulness to Him.

David vowed to praise God for His acts of deliverance, protection, defense, provision, consolation, and restoration. He pledged to publicize the greatness of the Lord through the providences of the earth. His personal devotion to praise overflowed, causing him to invite others to join in the rendition of corporate praise. Psalm 34:1-3 (NKJV) states, “I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall boast in the Lord; The humble shall hear of it and be glad. Oh, magnify the Lord with me, And let us exalt His name together.” Our attitude toward praise should be to boast about the goodness of the Lord. We should boast in His mercy, love, compassion, forgiveness, patience, peace, grace, salvation, gift of eternal life, and granting us citizenship in heaven.

Our posture of praise should be like the psalmist in Psalms 95:1-2 (ESV), “Oh come, let us sing to the LORD; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation! Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!” Psalm 100:1-5 (ESV) states, “Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth! Serve the LORD with gladness! Come into his presence with singing! Know that the LORD, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name! For the LORD is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.”

The melody in every Christian’s heart should produce the perfect pitch of joyful praise to the Lord.

Praise should be a vocal expression as we boast in the Lord because He alone is the proper subject and object of our praise.

Notes

1. The MacArthur Study Bible

2. Spurgeon, C. H. n.d. The Treasury of David: Psalms 27-57. Vol. 2. London; Edinburgh; New York: Marshall Brothers.

3. The New National Baptist Hymnal. #23

4. https://www.allgospellyrics.com/?sec=listing&lyricid=12918#google_vignette

5. Smith, Charles Ward. "Commentary on Psalms 34:1". "Smith's Bible Commentary". https://www.studylight.org/​commentaries/​csc/​psalms-34.html. 2014.

6. Barnes, Albert. “Commentary on Psalms 34:1”. “Barnes’ Notes on the Whole Bible”. https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/bnb/psalms-34.html. 1870.

7. Higle, Tommy. 2005. Journey Into Overcoming. Rising Above Life’s Toughest Problems.

8. https://hymnary.org/hymn/AAHH2001/121

9. The Wiersbe Study Bible