Psalm 34: The Third Pray-er

Verse 18: "The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit."

Whenever I go on retreat to a Benedictine monastery, I meet the monks who live out the motto of their order: "ora et labora" (pray and work). The monastery offers not only prayer as a means of encountering God, but also labor. Labor is not just about working, but about communal living itself. In prayer and shared labor, God is present.

For David in Psalm 34, prayer and praise are two sides of the same coin. Although they are closely related, they can also be separate. Prayer can lead to praise, but it can also lead to greater disappointment and discouragement. Fortunately, for David, prayer is also praise. This may be why Psalm 34 made it into the Old Testament.

The person who meditates on Psalm 34 encounters David, in whom prayer and praise are united. This person reads the psalm in the midst of the reality of disappointment and discouragement. They identify with David's situation. The first pray-er appears. This is not to say that the reader's reality is exactly the same as David's. There is still more reality to come. As both a reader and a pray-er, this person gives hope to David. The second pray-er appears. They hope for ultimate unity with David. This is the expectation that prayer for them will be integrated with praise, as it was for David. However, the pray-er also discovers another pray-er and is surprised. This is the third pray-er, who looks at the first and second pray-ers, and prays to God while reading Psalm 34, taking a step back, they observe Psalm 34. From this point on, they can read the inner meaning of the Scriptures. The fact that prayer and praise are as close as the palm of one's hand, but can look in different directions, makes them afraid. That moment makes them truly pray. God is with the first pray-er, the second pray-er, and the third pray-er, supporting them all.