READ Psalm 34:11–16. 11 Come, my children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the LORD. 12 Whoever of you loves life and desires to see many good days, 13 keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking lies. 14 Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it. 15 The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their cry; 16 but the face of the LORD is against those who do evil, blot out their name from the earth.
THE LIE. To enjoy a good life (verse 12) you must live a good life (verses 13–14). This challenges the lie of the serpent in Eden that if we obey God fully we will be miserable, that rich living lies outside God’s will, not within it.29 This lie has passed deeply into every human heart: that we would be happier if we, rather than God, were free to choose how our lives should be lived. But the ultimate good is knowing God personally, and the ultimate punishment is just as personal—to lose the face of God (verse 16), the only source of joy and love, to be “left utterly and absolutely outside—repelled, exiled, estranged, finally and unspeakably ignored.”30
Prayer: Father, if I want to love life, I have to love you—and loving you means doing your will with gladness. Shine your face on me—let me know your love—so I can love you for who you are. Remind me that the only loss that is unbearable is to lose you and your presence. Amen.