Psalm 34: 22 Prayers for Our Family-Supplication through the Scriptures
Psalm 34
Here’s the Christian life: we look back to what Christ has accomplished for us, and we look forward to the day when He will appear.
Alistair Begg
Easter is such a joyous time for believers. We celebrate the resurrection of our Savior, which is the hope of our own resurrection one day (1 Corinthians 15:20). The resurrection of Christ confirmed His deity, the satisfaction of His sacrifice for our sin removing the wrath of God from us, and the defeat of sin and death on our behalf.
Christ’s work on our behalf means we have confident access to the throne of God to plead for mercy and grace, not only for ourselves but for others, and especially for those dearest to us.
Psalm 34 is an acrostic using the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet to begin each verse with a couple of slight variations. Fittingly, there are 22 days until Easter, and I’d like to encourage you to take 22 days starting tomorrow and pray the prayer suggestions I have made using Psalm 34 as a guide. Maybe some of you will even memorize this Psalm and use this Psalm repeatedly to bring your family before the Lord, pleading with Him to make Himself the treasure of each person’s heart in your family. Then for each of us Easter will be a day of rejoicing together in all God has done for us.
March 26
34:1 I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth.
#1: His praise would continually be in our mouths whether in the valley or on the mountain top, in adversity or prosperity, in sorrow or joy, knowing that He will make all things new in His time. We would be resolved to praise Him constantly and regularly.
March 27-28
34:2 My soul makes its boast in the Lord; let the humble hear and be glad.
#2: We would not boast in anything except in the cross of Christ and in the Lord. “Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 1:31). Are there any areas we are tempted to take pride in ourselves or boast in our achievements? Are we ashamed of the gospel and unwilling to boast of Christ’s death and resurrection on our behalf?
#3: Our family would be humble and glad in the Lord. We would put on hearts of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience (Colossians 3:12).
March 29
34:3 Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together!
#4:We would exult and magnify the Lord together because we all love and know Him. Do any of our family members remain unsaved? Are any not diligently seeking the Lord? Pray for their salvation and seeking of the Lord.
March 30
34:4 I sought the Lord, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears.
#5: When we are faced with fearful times, we would seek the Lord and He would deliver us from all that is frightening. What situations are we facing that could cause fear or anxiety?
March 31
34:5 Those who look to him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed.
#6: Our faces and demeanor would be radiant because we are looking to the Lord for all things, and the aroma of Christ would be evident in our day to day interactions with those we live and work with (2 Corinthians 2:14).
April 1
34:6 This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him and saved him out of all his troubles.
#7: The Lord would save us out of all our troubles. Are there financial troubles, car troubles, home repairs needed, conflict, sickness, or mental illness that is troubling our family?
April 2
34:7 The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them.
#8: Our family would fear the Lord and the angel of the Lord would encamp around us to deliver us from dangers known and unknown, physical and spiritual.
April 3-4
34:8 Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!
#9: We would taste and see, truly experience, that the Lord is good and all He does is good. He extends His good favor to His children causing all things to work together for their good (Romans 8:28). What good can we praise the Lord for? What situations must we look at through eyes of faith that they are for our good?
#10: When confronted with difficulties, we would immediately seek refuge in the Lord, turning to Him immediately to guide our ways, whether the issues be small like a lost key or large like a terminal illness.
April 5
34:9 Oh, fear the Lord, you his saints, for those who fear him have no lack!
#11: We would fear the Lord holding Him in high regard in our lives, and we would have no lack. There would be no need that our Lord would not meet through His glorious riches in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19). What needs are we facing as a family?
April 6
34:10 The young lions suffer want and hunger; but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.
#12: We would seek Him diligently, knowing He is a rewarder of those that diligently seek Him (Hebrews 11:6). We would trust that the Lord withholds no good thing from them that walk uprightly (Psalm 84:11).
April 7
34:11 Come, O children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord.
#13: The Lord would teach us about Him, His Word, and ourselves. Because He Himself is teaching us, we would not depart from His judgments (Psalm 119:102). Are there sins we need to turn from and truths we need to embrace?
April 8
34:12 What man is there who desires life and loves many days, that he may see good?
#14: If it be His will, He would give us health and length of days to live for the Lord (Romans 14:8) and Christ would be our life for all our days (Colossians 3:4).
April 9-10
34:13 Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit.
#15: The Lord would help us to keep our tongues from evil. Because death and life are in the power of the tongue (Proverbs 18:21), we would speak life and impart grace to those who hear us (Ephesians 4:29).
#16: We would not speak or live deceitfully, but we would speak truth and live sincerely with one another and before the Lord.
April 11
34:14 Turn away from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.
#17: We would turn away from evil and do good, seek peace and pursue it. We would abstain from every form of evil (1 Thessalonians 5:21-22). As much as it depends on us, we would be at peace with others (Romans 12:18). God would bless our home and relationships with peace and unity.
April 12
34:15-16 The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous and his ears toward their cry. The face of the Lord is against those who do evil, to cut off the memory of them from the earth.
#18: Our family would walk in a manner pleasing to the Lord, and His eyes would be upon us and His ears would be attentive to our cries. He would act according to His steadfast love which He has toward His people, and He would have compassion and work on our behalf.
April 13
34:17 When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles.
#19: In all our distresses, troubles, needs, worries, aggravations, and delays, we would turn to the Lord for help and He would deliver. “I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth (Psalm 121:1-2).
April 14
34:18 The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.
#20: When our family experiences grief, the Lord would be near to us in our brokenheartedness and save us when we are crushed in spirit. He would be our Father of mercies and God of all comfort, comforting us in all our affliction (2 Corinthians 1:3-4).
April 15
34:19-20 Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all. He keeps all his bones; not one of them is broken.
#21: Our family would take heart that even though the Lord has said we would have trouble and affliction in this world, He has overcome this world and we can trust our King. And we would be comforted knowing that He has suffered as we have suffered, and He is our merciful and faithful High Priest (Hebrews 4:15).
April 16
34:21-22 Affliction will slay the wicked, and those who hate the righteous will be condemned. The Lord redeems the life of his servants; none of those who take refuge in him will be condemned.
#22: Our family would be able to rejoice together that there is no condemnation for us any longer because we are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1). Are there any who still remain under condemnation? Let’s pray that God would use His Word and by His Spirit cause them to be born again today.
May the Lord do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, for His glory and our good. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Psalm 34 quoted from the ESV.
Photo credit zachnrob
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