Psalms

A Psalm of David.

 ¹ The LORD is my light and my salvation;
         Whom shall I fear?
         The LORD is the strength of my life;
         Of whom shall I be afraid?

If every believer could truly grasp this and hold onto it regardless of the circumstances of life the world would be a different place.  If we have been redeemed by the Lord and we have truly surrendered our lives to Him then what could, or should, we possibly fear?  What is there to be afraid of?  However, we quickly forget that God is sovereign and in charge of every circumstance of our life.  That doesn't mean they will always be good or that we will always understand them.  In fact, this will be tested in the life of every believer.  When a tragedy occurs that makes no sense, how do we respond?  When we get a bad diagnosis from the doctor, can we say the Lord is our light and salvation?

Psalm 27:2
 ² When the wicked came against me
         To eat up my flesh,
         My enemies and foes,
         They stumbled and fell.
 ³ Though an army may encamp against me,
         My heart shall not fear;
         Though war may rise against me,
         In this I will be confident.
The wicked came against David and what did he do?  Nothing, they stumbled and fell.  Even though an army came against him and war might break out, David's confidence was in God.  He was in control and we can trust God with every circumstance of our life.

Psalm 27:4
 ⁴ One thing I have desired of the LORD,
         That will I seek:
         That I may dwell in the house of the LORD
         All the days of my life,
         To behold the beauty of the LORD,
         And to inquire in His temple.

Is that the desire of your heart?  Should that not be the desire of every believer?  Imagine what it will be like some day to be in the real temple after which the earthly temple was copied.  Imagine what it will be like to behold the beauty of the Lord for an eternity.  Those are the thoughts we can spend a lifetime exploring.  

Psalm 27:5-6
 ⁵ For in the time of trouble
         He shall hide me in His pavilion;
         In the secret place of His tabernacle
         He shall hide me;
         He shall set me high upon a rock.
 ⁶ And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies all around me;
         Therefore I will offer sacrifices of joy in His tabernacle;
         I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the LORD.
Until that time comes when we can dwell in the presence of the Lord we will seek him here as best we can.  In our journey here on earth we will find times of trouble.  David saw his protection in the Lord.  God would bring him into his tent and hide him.  He would be set on a high rock above and beyond any danger.  From that place David saw that he would be exalted above his enemies and from there he would worship the Lord and sing His praise.

Psalm 27:7
 ⁷ Hear, O LORD, when I cry with my voice!
         Have mercy also upon me, and answer me.
 ⁸ When You said, "Seek My face,"
         My heart said to You, "Your face, LORD, I will seek."
 ⁹ Do not hide Your face from me;
         Do not turn Your servant away in anger;
         You have been my help;
         Do not leave me nor forsake me,
         O God of my salvation.
 ¹⁰ When my father and my mother forsake me,
         Then the LORD will take care of me.
God called David to seek his face and David responded to the call.  Seeking the face of God is to chase after that face to face and very personal relationship with the Lord.  That relationship will never be perfected in sinful bodies, yet we are to pursue it anyway.  

David had lived a sordid life.  He was a man after God's heart, yet, he was a sinful man.  He had fallen many times.  David knows this and asks God not to turn away even though that's what he deserves.  God had not forsaken him and had been his salvation.  Even when his own father and mother might turn away David knew the Lord was there.

Psalm 27:11-13         
 ¹¹ Teach me Your way, O LORD,
         And lead me in a smooth path, because of my enemies.
 ¹² Do not deliver me to the will of my adversaries;
         For false witnesses have risen against me,
         And such as breathe out violence.
 ¹³ I would have lost heart, unless I had believed
         That I would see the goodness of the LORD
         In the land of the living.
David remained teachable and called for God to continually show him the path of his life.  David needed the Lord to guide him through the life amidst his enemies and adversaries.  David knew he was powerless to defend himself against these forces.  He would have even lost heart, become depressed and downtrodden with life without knowing that God would intervene on his behalf.  God is spirit but he moves in the land of the living.  He is the living God and we sometimes forget that.  We don't wait to meet God in the sweet by and by some day.  We can see him move now, in our lives, when we seek him with all our heart.

Psalm 27:14         
 ¹⁴ Wait on the LORD;
         Be of good courage,
         And He shall strengthen your heart;
         Wait, I say, on the LORD!

One of the hardest things to figure out is how to wait on the Lord.  This isn't sitting on the couch of life waiting for God to show you a golden road to success.  This is living life expectantly, knowing the Lord is moving and working all around us.  When we seek Him, He will use us and we can wait expectantly on the next move of the Lord.  When it happens, we'll see it and praise Him and give Him glory.