Come, O People, listen to Me, I Will Teach You the Fear of the LORD.

Psalms 34:11-22

Come, O sons, listen to me, I will teach you the fear of the LORD.
What man is there who desires life, and covets many days, that he may enjoy good?
Keep your tongue from evil, and your lips from speaking deceit.
Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it.
The eyes of the LORD are toward the righteous, and his ears toward their cry.
The face of the LORD is against evildoers, to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.
When the righteous cry for help, the LORD hears, and delivers them out of all their troubles.
The LORD is near to the brokenhearted, and saves the crushed in spirit.
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.
Evil shall 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.

Let young persons set out in life with learning the fear of the Lord, if they desire true comfort here on earth and eternal happiness in heaven. Those will be the most happy are the ones that begin the earliest to serve so good a Master. We all aim to be happy. Surely for this we must look further than the present world; for a person’s life on earth consists but of only a few days, and those are full of trouble. What people are they that would see the good in that if all happiness is perfect? Sadly! Few have this good in their thoughts. That faith promises best which creates watchfulness over the heart and over the tongue.

It is not enough not to do harm, we must learn to be useful, and to live to some purpose; we must seek peace and pursue it; be willing to deny ourselves a great deal for peace' sake. It is the constant practice of real believers, when in distress, to cry out to God, and it is their constant comfort that He hears them.

The righteous are humbled because of sin, and in their own eyes they are low. Nothing is more needful in becoming to true godliness than a contrite heart, broken off from all pride and self-confidence. In this type of soil every grace will flourish, and nothing can encourage such a person but the free, rich grace of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

The righteous are taken under the special protection of the Lord, yet they have their share of troubles in this world, and there are those that hate them. Both from the mercy of Heaven, and the malice of hell, the afflictions of the righteous must be many. But whatever troubles take place, they will not hurt their souls, for God keeps them from sinning in times of troubles. No person is isolated, except them to whom God has forsaken.