February 13

Of David, when he pretended to be insane before Abimelech, so that the king drove him away. I will bless the LORD at all times; His praise will always be on my lips. — Ps 34:1 BSB

It’s not difficult to bless the Lord when everything is going well. There are days when everything seems bright—no sickness, no sorrow. On such days, it’s easy to say, "I will bless the Lord."

But there are other days when things are different. Business may be struggling, or our health may be failing. We begin to say the verse, "I will bless the Lord at..." but find it hard to finish. We can’t bless the Lord for the illness or the empty chair. And yet, the verse still says, "I will bless the Lord at all times."

We’re not called to rewrite Scripture; we’re called to live up to it. So, we must learn to bless the Lord even on the dark days, not just on the bright ones. We must learn to praise God in times of pain, as well as in times of joy.