A Psalm for Sequentials

 

I will extol the Lord at all times; his praise will always be on my lips.

—Psalm 34:1

Do you like lists? I do. I think I even have some lists of lists! We “Sequentials” like to put things in order and then to look back and forward to gauge where things stand. We like binders with page dividers.

Studying my Teacher’s Plan Book, I could see what my students were taught last week, last month, and last year. By looking back at previous records, I could know what I wanted them to have learned by the end of the month and the end of the year. I could even determine what I wanted them to have learned by the time they finished elementary school.

Several of the Psalms were written as acrostics. Psalm 119 is the longest of these. But, my favorite Psalm of this type is Psalm 34. This particular Psalm is sequential, through and through. And, I love it.

An acrostic is based on a sequential list beginning with a letter of the alphabet. Each stanza of Psalm 34 begins with a letter of the Hebrew alphabet. This sequential format made it easy for Hebrew children to study and memorize this Psalm.

Acrostics have long been used to provide memory hooks for students. Early readers in the United States of America used acrostics to help them learn, even memorize, their lessons. Some of the acrostics appeared on counted-cross-stitch designs based on a page from the Puritan primer, like the one at the beginning of this blog post. As the children in colonial times, and later, embroidered these designs, they learned the lessons the designs intended to teach.

Beyond the connection to acrostics and sequential learning, Psalm 34 details how the Lord should be extoled (or praised). If you choose to meditate on all the words of this Psalm, you will quickly observe that praise comes from our lips, (v. 1) from our souls, (v. 2), from our faces (v. 5) and from our lives (vv. 8-9).

As we continue to meditate on Psalm 34, we learn that when we look at the way God takes care of us, and how He keeps us, we see that we fall under His protection, (vv. 6-8), under His provision (vv. 9-10), under His constant attention (vv. 15-16), and under His compassion (vv.17-20).

How’s that for a set of sequential lists?

To further break this Psalm down into learnable chunks, each of those categories listed in the above paragraphs goes into detail. For example, when we praise the Lord from our souls, we do it with boasting, with audible exaltation, and by exalting Him with others.

Do you see how perfectly Psalm 34 was planned and written?

And for what reason do you suppose that God gave us this wonderful, sequential, perfectly crafted song of praise? God gave us Psalm 34 to help us praise Him, to understand His care, and to comprehend the detail with which He watches over us and provides for us.

Studying Psalm 34 may also encourage you to write your own sequential Psalm. You can begin doing this by asking the question: “How has God shown up in my life?”

As you answer that question, you will likely discover that God has made Himself known in your life through His love, His power, His wisdom, His compassion, and by the application of His many other great attributes.

I strongly encourage you to join me in meditating on this wonderful Psalm. Together we will see the beauty of the words. But more importantly, we will see the beauty and majesty of our God!