Anxious Heart

Although I have written about an anxious heart before (“Be Still My Anxious Heart,” Philippians 4:6-7), I know many people currently struggling with anxious hearts. I recently read Psalm 34:1-10 and thought there were some that could use the reminder and encouragement from a different part of God’s Word.

For some, worry and anxiety are a constant struggle in multiple areas of life. For others, they may have just one area that tempts them towards an anxious heart. We can be anxious about the future, money, friends, kids, spouses, jobs, health, accidents, school, tests, clothes, food, possessions, losing someone, and more. We can be anxious over anything and everything in life. For me, relationships are what tempt me towards an anxious heart. I worry about our youth kiddos. I worry when there is strain in a relationship, or it seems too long since I’ve heard from someone.

We often try to justify our anxiety by seeing it as caring about the person or situation. We should care about our relationships, health, finances, etc. There are many Biblical principles for all the things listed above. The problem – our sinful anxious heart – arises when we don’t entrust those things to God. As we study Psalm 34:1-10 today, we will learn that David was in a concerning situation. It wasn’t a circumstance to shrug off, but David chose trusting God over an anxious heart. Let’s take a look.

Of David, when he changed his behavior before Abimelech, so that he drove him out, and he went away.

1 I will bless the Lord at all times;

his praise shall continually be in my mouth.

2 My soul makes its boast in the Lord;

let the humble hear and be glad.

3 Oh, magnify the Lord with me,

and let us exalt his name together!

4 I sought the Lord, and he answered me

and delivered me from all my fears.

5 Those who look to him are radiant,

and their faces shall never be ashamed.

6 This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him

and saved him out of all his troubles.

7 The angel of the Lord encamps

around those who fear him, and delivers them.

8 Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good!

Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!

9 Oh, fear the Lord, you his saints,

for those who fear him have no lack!

10 The young lions suffer want and hunger;

but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.[1]

You may have noticed the description of the Psalm, “Of David, when he changed his behavior before Abimelech, so that he drove him out, and he went away.” This is referencing an account in David’s life found in 1 Samuel 21:10-15.

10 And David rose and fled that day from Saul and went to Achish the king of Gath. 11 And the servants of Achish said to him, “Is not this David the king of the land? Did they not sing to one another of him in dances,

‘Saul has struck down his thousands,

and David his ten thousands’?”

12 And David took these words to heart and was much afraid of Achish the king of Gath. 13 So he changed his behavior before them and pretended to be insane in their hands and made marks on the doors of the gate and let his spittle run down his beard. 14 Then Achish said to his servants, “Behold, you see the man is mad. Why then have you brought him to me? 15 Do I lack madmen, that you have brought this fellow to behave as a madman in my presence? Shall this fellow come into my house?” [2]

David fled one bad situation – Saul pursuing him – and landed himself in another bad situation – hiding out in Gath, a major Philistine city and one of the five Philistine city-states. This was bad because his reputation had proceeded him (already being known as a king even though he hadn’t yet taken the throne and having killed ten thousands). It isn’t mentioned in the above account, but David killed Goliath (a Philistine champion warrior, 1 Samuel 17:4) and was carrying Goliath’s sword (1 Samuel 21:9). No wonder we read that David was much afraid of Achish the king of Gath.

If we only had the 1 Samuel account, we would think that David acting out of his fear and anxiety took matters into his own hands by pretending to be insane. But we also have Psalm 34 which David wrote regarding this same situation.

You may notice that the introduction refers to “Ambielech.” This is thought to be a Philistine title for a king. In this case, King Achish of the 1 Samuel 21:10-15 account.

Next, go back and re-read verses 1-3 of the Psalm. How does David begin this Psalm?

“I will bless the Lord at all times;”

“His praise shall continually be in my mouth.”

“My soul makes its boast in the Lord.”

David is praising God. He is boasting in or giving all glory to God. Not only is he praising God, but he calls on others who are in similar situations (the humble, helpless, or discouraged) to listen to his story, to be glad, and to magnify and exalt God with him. Others could praise God for what God did in David’s situation but could also praise God in anticipation for God’s deliverance in their own life.

Again, if we only read the 1 Samuel 21 account, we would believe that David had an anxious heart and acted on that anxiety. In fact, after pretending he was insane, David departs from Gath and escapes to the cave of Adullam (1 Samuel 22:1). David seems to be fleeing in fear. However, we see the bigger picture in Psalm 34. We read that David sought the Lord (vs 4), and God answered him and delivered him from all his fears. David took his anxious heart to God. He sought the Lord.

It is interesting to note that David recounts that God delivered him from all his fears. We don’t read that God delivered David to complete, ongoing safety, rest, and abundance. God provided a way out from Gath. King Achish didn’t want a madman in his midst, so he didn’t detain or even try to kill David, but David still escapedto the cave of Adullam. David remained on the run from Saul, but he was delivered from all his fears, from his anxious heart.

David probably had a moment or two where he focused on his circumstances. We do that too. Then our anxious hearts rise up, but like David, we can seek God. If you re-read verses 1-10, what “God is…” truths do you find? These are the things David remembered when he sought the Lord. In verse 5, we read that those who look to God are radiant; their faces will never be ashamed. In verse 6, God heard and saved the poor man (humble or helpless as in verse 2). In verse 7, “the angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him, and delivers them.” David sought his God who hears and answers, who delivers and saves, who is near, who is good, and who provides.

Verses 1-7 focus on David’s distress and deliverance. Verses 8–22, focus on David’s subsequent instruction or commands that are born out of his experience. We are studying only through verse 10, but feel free to continue reading through the end of the chapter.

David sought God when he had an anxious heart. God delivered David from the danger in Gath and more importantly, delivered him from all his fears. David praised God. He doesn’t keep his deliverance to himself. He wants others to know God’s goodness too. “Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him! Oh, fear the Lord, you His saints, for those who fear him have no lack! The young lions suffer want and hunger; but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing”

David saw that God was good. We might look at David’s circumstance and wonder where God’s goodness was. After all, David was still hiding in a cave, fleeing from one bad situation to the next. We do the same in our own lives. We think that goodness must come in a certain package tied with a beautiful bow. God’s goodness in our lives doesn’t always look the way we anticipate. That doesn’t make it any less good. In the latter part of verse 5, David states that the man who takes refuge in God or trusts in God is blessed. The Hebrew word is ashre. It describes a total well-being. It has also been translated as happy, but not our modern view of happy. It is a rooted happiness beyond circumstances, more like how we think of joy. David recognized that God’s goodness made him blessed, having a life of total well-being while still hiding in a cave.

I love the contrast in verse 9. We read in 1 Samuel 21:12 that David was much afraid of King Achish. In Palm 34, David instructs others to fear the Lord and they will not lack. David himself shifted from his fear of man to fear of God. He knows fearing God is what our anxious hearts need. We need to remember our amazing, faithful, sovereign, omnipotent, good God who takes care of us. In fact, David says those who do fear God will have no lack. He emphasizes this in verse 10 by comparing young lions who may lack and be hungry to those who seek the Lord and lack no good thing. David didn’t see himself as lacking. He saw himself as possessing all good things because he had God on his side. When we seek God, find our refuge in Him, our anxious hearts disappear. We see His goodness. We respond with praise.

Reflection

1. What situations tempt you to an anxious heart? Do you have an anxious heart right now? What are the root causes of your anxious heart? In our study, David was fearing man over fearing God.

2. How do you tend to respond or are you currently responding to your anxious heart?

3. What from our passage today encouraged you? What “God is…” truths does your anxious heart need reminding of? How does remembering those “God is…” truths change your anxious heart’s perspective?

[1] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Ps 34:title–10. [2] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), 1 Sa 21:10–15.