Lent Devotional

Hi, my name is Maddy Sautner! I've been attending Fellowship for just under a year now. I currently serve in kids (shout out to my giraffes), young adults, and on the outreach team. Fun facts about me — I lived overseas for 7 years (and yes, I have a plethora of stories), I hate bananas (yes, there's a story), and I love playing just about any sport. I also love deep conversations over a cup of coffee, baking and cooking as a way to bring people together around a table, and finding joy and laughter in the little things.

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Psalm 34 invites you, during this Lent season, to focus on finding God's presence amidst suffering, emphasizing praise, deliverance, and refuge. You can see Christ throughout this chapter as David, the righteous sufferer, who cries out and the Lord listens to him (v. 6). David's story of deliverance points beyond himself to Jesus, the only truly righteous one whose life embodied perfect trust in God the Father. Verse 20 paints the picture that is explicitly fulfilled in Christ's crucifixion. This serves as a reminder that even in suffering and death, God's redemptive plan still stands firm. Jesus is also seen as the refuge for the brokenhearted and crushed in spirit (v. 18). As you meditate on this passage, may your heart be moved towards repentance and worship. This passage exposes our human condition in how easy it is for us to look for security and comfort in other things outside of Christ. But the good news is that Jesus alone is the only one who delivers us from all fears! We then can "taste and see that the Lord is good" (v.8) and have hope in Him. Praise flows naturally when we remember that Jesus Christ has redeemed our lives, hears our cries, and invites us to boast not in ourselves but in the one true King who is Lord. Worship becomes an act of trust — magnifying Jesus himself even in weakness, fasting, or waiting — because He is faithful and near to all.

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This psalm also shows us how a life centered on God leads us to honor Him and bless others. Psalm 34 calls us to "turn away from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it" (v. 14). When Jesus reshapes and molds our hearts through repentance, our lives start to become beautiful instruments of His goodness. Honoring God is not limited, though, to private devotion; it can extend to how we speak, act, and love. This psalm's invitation to fear the Lord teaches us to live with a deep reverence that results in compassion, integrity, and peacemaking. As we bless the Lord at all times, our praise becomes a testimony that encourages others to seek Him. In Lent, this passage leads us outward — feeding the hungry, comforting the brokenhearted, and pointing others to Christ, our ultimate refuge. By trusting in God's deliverance and walking in righteousness, we reflect God's character and become vessels through which others can "taste and see" the Lord's goodness.