Psalm 27

                Psalm 27 has 3 parts to it, but it all flows in a general theme of confidence in God despite our circumstances.  In the opening 3 verses David boldly declares his confidence in God no matter what.  “The Lord is my light and my salvation – whom shall I fear? … Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear, though war break out against me, even then will I be confident.” (Psalm 27:1, 3)  It’s a pretty clear statement from David.  His enemies can come at him; they can give him their best shot, but David will not fear them because he has confidence in the Lord.

                Verses 4-6 focus more on David’s deepest desire; the one thing he truly wants above all else.  In verse 4 he writes, “One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple.”  If you read my post on Psalm 23, I posed the question of what it is that we truly desire.  As noted in the comments on that post, this is what David truly wants.  He wants to be in God’s presence all day, every day.  How many of us can honestly say the same?  In verses 5-6 we see why David desires to “dwell in the house of the Lord.”  When David was in trouble, God kept him safe.  The Lord hid him “in the shelter of his tabernacle.” (Psalm 27:5)  It’s here, at the tabernacle, where David can “sacrifice with shouts of joy” and “sing and make music to the Lord.” (Psalm 27:6)  How often do we “sing and make music to the Lord.”  For David, it was a daily practice because he always desired to be in the presence of God.  I’m not sure I could say the same is true for me.

                In part 3 of this psalm we find a request from David to God.  David’s request is one many of us make.  It is a request that God hear us and be merciful to us.  It is the request of someone facing difficult circumstances – trials and tribulations.  “Do not hide your face from me,” David writes, “do not turn your servant away in anger; you have been my helper.  Do not reject me or forsake me, O God my Savior.” (Psalm 27:9)  I’m really good at praying some variant on this verse when times are hard.  When sickness comes, or the job gets hard, or there is no job, or fill in the blank with your own struggles.  It’s a natural response for us as believers.  When the going gets tough, we turn to God for help.  Scripture tells us that He is there for us.  But do we carry that same desire for God’s help when everything is turning up roses and sunshine?  Do we keep that same desire David expressed back in verse 4, to “gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple.”

                The psalm concludes with a reminder of David’s trust in God.  “I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.  Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.” (Psalm 27:13-14)  David continued to seek God’s presence because he had full confidence that he would see God’s goodness in his current circumstances.  David didn’t know exactly when or how, but he knew it was coming.  He knew he would have to wait, but he knew the Lord would deliver him.  In our world of instance gratification and wanting everything now, it’s good to be reminded that sometimes we need to wait.