God of All Comfortಮಾದರಿ

I have spent many mornings trying to memorize Psalm 34. It is one of my favorite Psalms, and I read it repeatedly for comfort in hard times. In this psalm, David talks about God delivering him from all his fears, his face radiant and not covered with shame. In moments when I have felt most exposed, the brightness of shame has revealed every flaw, and the weight of judgment surrounded me. It’s unsettling to sense others speculating and crafting narratives that might miss the mark on the pain you are going through. I think of David, who envisioned God’s light illuminating his face, “no shadow of shame [darkening his face]” (34:5, NLT). Many days, this same picture has comforted me.

Shame manifests in many forms. We may experience impostor syndrome, fearing that if people truly knew us, they wouldn’t accept us. It can lead us to inflate our image to make ourselves appear more likable. When facing health challenges, shame can make us feel inadequate—believing that if we could do more, if our capacity were larger, we would be more lovable. Shame tells us that if people knew the full ugly or unbearable truth, we would be abandoned or rejected. Shame grows in isolation when we bury our sins, leave them unconfessed, or hide them. They fester, and shame intensifies alongside them. Sin brings shame; past mistakes bring shame. The devil wants us trapped in a cycle of thoughts like, “If they knew, they wouldn’t love me,” or “If they truly saw me, I’d face rejection.” Whether it’s financial issues, addiction to alcohol, sexual sin, or pornography, hidden sin struggles can bring about intense feelings of shame and lead us to further isolate ourselves from the community we need so badly.

We have to stop the shame cycle by coming before God, repenting of our sin and seeking his help and guidance, which he will always give us. We can resist the temptation to seclude ourselves and reach out to another godly person who will lovingly speak truth into our lives.

In the midst of Psalm 34 is an invitation from David for all of us to “taste and see that the Lord is good” (34:8, NLT). We often hear of the general rebellion that we are supposed to avoid as believers, but not the sweet communion that is available to us when we allow ourselves to accept Christ's invitation. In the midst of your broken-hearted season (34:18, NLT), find the closeness of the Lord, and accept his invitation. Today, let us really think about this line, “Those who trust in the Lord will lack no good thing” (34:10, NLT). Can you believe these truths today with me? Can you believe that those who fear him lack nothing, indeed?