Radiant Faces

 

Those who look to him [God] are radiant …

—from Psalm 34:5

Can you spot someone who is feeling great joy? I imagine you can. There is just something about the way he or she looks. We often say that he or she appears radiant. Please let me offer two illustrations:

I remember my mother often telling my dad on our way home from church on Sunday that she thought such and such a mother was pregnant. “She’s just glowing,” my mom would say. And, she was usually right. In just a few weeks, the announcement of an impending birth would spread throughout the church.

New brides and grooms often have “that look” about them that says they’re feeling significant joy. Their smiles radiate the love that they feel for each other. In fact, that feeling of being deeply loved tends to affect how they relate to other people, as well.

It should come as no surprise that King David would use such a radiant image to describe the relationship that those chosen by God have with Him. Notice what David writes in Psalm 34:5:

Those who look to him [God] are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame.

A follower of Jesus can receive no greater a compliment than to hear someone say:

“When I look at you, I see Jesus.”

The radiance of Christ’s divine Presence within a believer is surely a mark of great joy. Therefore, as we begin a new day, let’s not be afraid to show the joy that dwells within us because God has chosen us to belong to Himself. We have every good reason to have radiant faces, filled with overflowing joy.

 

_{Copyright © 2026 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

He Always Answers Me

 

I sought the Lord, and he answered me …

—from Psalm 34:4

Did you ever ask someone a question and have them seemingly refuse to answer? Perhaps you asked your son or daughter to take out the trash. In response to your request you heard, well, nothing. You looked to see if your son or daughter had on earphones and was listening to music. No, no earphones. You looked to see if he or she was watching television and did not hear your request. No, the TV was muted for a commercial. So, you asked your question again. And, once again, you heard no response.

Your frustration level began to rise. The third time you asked your son or daughter to take out the trash, your voice likely rose with a tinge of anger. I’m not going to speculate on whether or not you received a response. It is just as likely that you didn’t get an answer than if you did. God is not at all like that. The Psalmist declares in Psalm 34:4:

I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.

When we seek an answer from God, He always answers us. Now, we may not like the answer we receive. And, we may have to wait until God decides the timing is right to answer us. But, we always receive an answer.

“Wait a minute,” you say. “I’ve prayed and prayed and prayed about something and I don’t feel that God has ever answered me.”

But, don’t you see? God has seemingly remained silent, yet in a sense, He has answered you. By His silence, He is urging you to keep praying and to wait on His timing. As the days pass, you will find that God’s plan for your situation will unfold slowly and carefully right before your eyes.

Other times, the answer that God gives us may appear as exactly the opposite of the answer for which we hoped and desired. Nevertheless, God’s answer will ultimately always prove out as the best possible answer we could have received from Him. This is because He always has our best interest in mind.

As we begin a new day, let’s not hesitate to make our requests known to God. In His loving and caring way, He will always answer us with the right answer—the one we really need.

 

_{Copyright © 2026 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

A Call to Worship

 

Glorify the Lord with me …

—from Psalm 34:3

The church you attend may no longer have a formal “Call to Worship.” Instead, particularly if you attend a church that uses Contemporary Christian Music, you may have a praise song that calls the congregation to worship.

I happen to attend an Evangelical Presbyterian Church that, unlike many churches in that denomination, uses a semi-liturgical form of worship and more traditional church music. We begin each Worship Service with a responsive “Call to Worship” led by a Liturgist—usually the Minister of Music and Worship.

Often based on a Psalm, the “Call to Worship” consists of the Liturgist reading one line from the Psalm and the congregation reading the next line, back and forth, with the last line often consisting of the words: “Let us worship God!”

The Psalms are overflowing with words that can easily comprise a “Call to Worship.” One of those passages is found in Psalm 34:3:

Glorify the Lord with me; let us exalt his name together.

What a fitting way to begin a time of corporate worship. We invite each other to glorify the Lord and join together to exalt His name.

As we begin this new day, we can also call ourselves to a daily time of worship by reading appropriate Psalms. Then, we can spend a few moments telling God what we appreciate about Him. Such an effort on our part is time well spent at the beginning of each new day. We consciously place the focus of our lives back on God. We remind ourselves, and Him, how important He is to us. And, we reap the benefit of knowing that we have told Him how much we love and appreciate Him for exactly who He is in our lives.

 

_{Copyright © 2026 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

Boasting in the Lord

 

What do you suppose the Psalmist means when he writes these words in Psalm 34:2:

My soul will boast in the Lord; let the afflicted hear and rejoice.

Said another way, what does it mean to “boast in the Lord”?

When we boast, we tell others how wonderful we are, what we’ve accomplished, or what other people think about us. When we boast in the Lord, we tell others how wonderful God is, what He has accomplished in our lives, and what other people we know think about Him. It’s really that simple.

The Psalmist indicates that because of all that God has done for him, he simply cannot help himself but to always take every opportunity to tell others about the gracious goodness of the Lord. The Psalmist literally boasts about how wonderful God is. And, as a result, all who hear these affirming words rejoice. For, if God has been so very good to the Psalmist, surely God will be very good to them, as well.

As we begin another new day, let’s take our cue from the Psalmist. Let’s determine to boast in the Lord. Let’s gently and tenderly tell others how good God has been to us. Let’s share the many times He has given us aid, direction, sustenance, and love. Surely those who hear our testimony of God’s greatness will rejoice.

 

_{Copyright © 2026 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

Ever-Praising Lips

 

I will extol the Lord at all times …

—from Psalm 34:1

Have you ever worked with someone for a while and later thought: “There is not enough good things I can say about him or her”? You were so impressed with this individual that there was no limit to the good words that you might choose to say about that person. That’s what our relationship with God is like. He is so wonderful, so marvelous, so magnificent that there is absolutely no limit to the good things we can say about Him. Certainly the Psalmist agrees and has stated this very theme in Psalm 34:1:

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

The Dictionary defines the word “extol” as “to praise enthusiastically, to praise highly, to glorify.” It seems very fitting that the Psalmist would use this word to describe how he felt about God.

Not only does the Psalmist intend to praise God enthusiastically, he plans to do so at all times. In fact, he declares that praise for God will always be on his lips.

As we begin a new day, we do well to praise God at all times. We do very well if we constantly remind ourselves, and others, how wonderful He is. He means everything to us. And, that, dear ones, is exactly as it should be.

 

_{Copyright © 2026 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

The Way of Truth

 

I have chosen the way of truth …

—from Psalm 119:30

Have you ever noticed that the more often you purposely set aside the truth, and instead tell a lie, how very easy it becomes? Lying is one of the simplest of sins. It takes almost no effort to tell a falsehood. In contrast, many times it takes a determined effort to carefully tell the truth.

Truth is the gateway to the heart of God. He is truth. Everything about Him is true. He never lies. He never deceives. He never speaks, except to share the truth. In fact, God’s way is the way of truth. It is no wonder that the Psalmist embodied this lesson in Psalm 119:30:

I have chosen the way of truth; I have set my heart on your laws.

As we begin a new day, let’s determine to remember that God’s way is the way of truth. If we stick only to the truth, we will do well in our efforts to please God.

 

_{Copyright © 2026 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

What It Means To Follow Jesus

 

… anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.

—from Matthew 10:38

In writing one of my blog posts, I often use the phrase “followers of Jesus.” Recently, I received an email that asked me if I could more precisely define what I meant by that term. So, I’m going to try to do exactly that.

Literally, a “follower of Jesus” is one who endeavors to find out as much about Jesus as possible:

• What Jesus had to say.
  
  
• How Jesus would act.
  
  
• What core principles ruled Jesus’ life.
  
  
• What instructions Jesus might have given to His disciples—His followers.
  
  

Armed with this knowledge, a follower of Jesus will then attempt to:

• Speak like Jesus would speak.
  
  
• Walk the road of life in the same manner that Jesus did.
  
  
• Treat others like Jesus did.
  
  
• Develop the same core principles for life that Jesus developed.
  
  

A follower of Jesus is literally emulating the life of Christ, within that person’s own reality.

Jesus often gave us clues in Scripture as to how He expected His followers to live. For example, please take note of this passage found in Matthew 10:38-39:

And anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

The cross of Calvary was the greatest burden the Lord Jesus Christ had to bear. For on that cross, He bore the sins of all humankind, paying the penalty for our sins. In a similar manner, every human has a cross to bear in life. It begins with the sin nature we inherited from Adam, and continues on as we sin purposefully in our own lives.

In these two verses from Matthew 10, Jesus is telling us that to follow Him we must pick up our cross and walk in the way He would walk. He also shares an important truth, when He reminds us that only by losing our lives—that is, giving Him control of our lives—will we find out what life is really all about.

We can only know life, as God intends it, when we consciously put aside our own selfish wills and seek to allow God, through the Holy Spirit, to control the way we live. Therefore, it makes sense, at the beginning of this new day, that we should do just that. Are you with me?

 

_{Copyright © 2026 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}