A homeless man on the run from a raging king, acting like a lunatic in front of an enemy who could snuff out his life. Psalm 34.
Somehow, in the midst of this, David gives us a picture of what it looks like to live within a “good life.”
How is this possible?
I guess I’ll start here with: What do you expect?
Is your life going to be filled with comfort, spent pursuing everything you can to get what you want and reach where you wanted to be? Or will you take even a small taste of the Lord’s goodness and begin to experience what David writes about here?
“Taste and see that the LORD is good.” Psalm 34:8
To me, this psalm weaves together two elements that I wouldn’t naturally put together: fear and trust.
This is a real fear—a powerful reverence and awe of something far greater than us– God.
There’s a pretty good picture of why we should be filled with this “fear” in the 18th Psalm: “smoke rose from his nostrils, and fire blazed from his mouth. He tore open the heavens and came down,” the psalm says, and the very foundations of the mountains shook. This is the God who reaches down from the sky and lifts David from deep waters — and the same kind of rescue David lands on in Psalm 34, and later in Psalm 40.
And yet also, there is a trust here, a trust described in verses 4 through 10: a trust that brings freedom from fears, radiant joy, no shadows of shame, rescue, deliverance, defense, a tasting in the Lord’s goodness, and a lacking no good thing, truly– the “good life”.
But how does this kind of “good life” match up with our world? Because if we look closely, the reality described in the rest of the psalm is, well, difficult.
This isn’t a life of easiness. In fact, it’s a life that’s filled with troubles. We can expect that. It’s a life in which broken hearts are common and crushed spirits happen.
“The righteous person faces many troubles, but the LORD comes to the rescue each time.” Psalm 34:19
So, what do you expect from God?
I know this– trouble won’t go away forever, but He will stay near. He won’t leave.
David gives a good picture of what this kind of good life looks like—not of comfort, but: “…those who look to him for help will be radiant with joy…no shadow of shame will darken their faces…oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him!…those who trust in the Lord will lack no good thing… those who fear Him will have all they need…the Lord redeems those who serve him…no one who takes refuge in him will be condemned.” (verses from Psalm 34)
And then he shows us how to live in it: control your tongue, don’t lie, turn away from doing wrong and do good, seek peace, and always pursue it (Psalm 34:11–14).
So here, fear of and trust in God go together, hand in hand, followed by obedience. A deep reverence for the Lord—for who He is, His character, His being, His holiness, His majesty, and power—should bring us a deep comfort and settled trust in what He is able to do, and an obedient response in how we live.
And yet, I know for myself, I doubt this every day. My heart wavers, and I wonder: will He show up? And I sure struggle with obedience.
Will He be there when work’s slow and the bills pile up? Can I trust Him if I lose my job? Will He be near if my marriage crumbles to pieces and I’m left alone? What about if my health fails? Or a friend walks away? Or my child won’t speak to me?
What happens if these things happen?
David wasn’t just writing from a La-Z-Boy in a comfortable time. Remember where this started—a man on the run, drooling in fear. He’s speaking from a place of experience—experience in some of the worst circumstances—and yet understanding who God actually is.
Because David knew. And this is why he says:
“I will praise the LORD at all times.
I will constantly speak his praises.
I will boast only in the LORD.”
— Psalm 34:1–2
David knew about trouble. About being brokenhearted. And about helplessness. And, about rescue (Psalm 34:2, 18).
And if I look at his life, I wouldn’t say, “Well, then it was good.”
So where are you today? Are you facing something I spoke about? Are you looking trouble in the face? Are you crushed, desperate, or brokenhearted, just reaching out for something?
Whatever it is—take it to Psalm 34. Read the full length. Take some notes. And ask yourself if, even when it’s not the “good life,” do you trust that God will stay near?
-Alex Gerber, August 26, 2026