Psalm 34:22 (NKJV)

Psalm 34:22 is a Bible verse where David sums up his testimony of the Lord’s goodness in his life. King David had a very close relationship with God, and yet that did not prevent him from being persecuted and enduring attacks from his enemies and even his friends. Even though he had been anointed by God to be king, he was hunted down like an animal before he was finally able to step into the place God had prepared for him.

Do you ever feel that way? You have gifts and talents that were given to you by God, but you don’t have the freedom or a place to use them or exercise them. We can also feel like a trapped animal who yearns to be free from its cage.

Let’s renew our hope as we look at our verse of the day and promise from God:

The Lord redeems the soul of His servants,
And none of those who trust in Him shall be condemned.

It’s so important to dig into the meat of these words so we can truly understand what God’s promise really means to each one of us. As we seek, we will find. (Matthew 7:7)

The word “redeems” in Hebrew means: release, preserve, deliver, rescue. What is it the Lord is promising to release and preserve? The soul of His servants.

“Soul” in Hebrew means: a breathing creature, vitality (bodily or mental). God is the One Who created us by giving us breath. In fact, in the Book of Genesis you can see multiple places where God references to Himself as I Am, which  means: breath. We were not a living being until He breathed His breath into us. (Genesis 2:7)

Master Filter

So then, the Lord is promising to release and preserve our souls–our vitality–in body and mind. He has promised to release from our bodies and minds those things that hold us captive. And He has promised to preserve those things in our bodies and our minds that He has given us. A holy filter, if you will.

We want to get rid of those things that don’t belong in our body and mind, and we want to prosper in those gifts and talents He has placed in us. Our gifts and talents can flourish as the things that hold us down, fear and guilt for example, are sent packing.

Much like our kidneys filter out the waste and distribute the nutrients in our body, the Lord is filtering out the waste in our souls, which will then cause us to absorb the nutrients of His truth and grace. He does this in many different ways.

Since we are all uniquely created by a Master Creator, His work in each of us is unique and majestic. What we see Him do in another is not necessarily what He is doing in us. We are all gifted individually, so we will see His work emerge from each of us in a different way. (1 Corinthians 12:11)

Participate in the Process

The Holy Spirit is doing the lion’s share of the work, but we must also participate in the process. We must engage in what He is doing and accept His way and His lead. Sometimes this can be difficult because our insecurities and painful memories of the past can ring loud in our ears.

We must deliberately with our wills disengage from those old voices of the past, and tune our listening and focus to the new thing God is doing in us. Even though it may be painful at times, the glorious riches of His grace far outweigh the discomfort of the process. This is where trust comes in.

Look again at the end of Psalm 34:22.

And none of those who trust in Him shall be condemned.

“Condemned” here means: be guilty, punished or perish; desolate.

As we disengage from the pain of our past, we allow room for the Holy Spirit to breathe new life into us, so we can be revived. This is how we receive vitality in our minds and our bodies. We can have mental health and physical health.

Trust in Him and receive the grand promise of Psalm 34:22.