Monday, December 2, 2013

Reflections on Psalms 27

 Psalms 27(Contemporary English Version)
  1. (By David.) You, LORD, are the light that keeps me safe. I am not afraid of anyone. You protect me, and I have no fears.
  2. Brutal people may attack and try to kill me, but they will stumble. Fierce enemies may attack, but they will fall.
  3. Armies may surround me, but I won't be afraid; war may break out, but I will trust you.
  4. I ask only one thing, LORD: Let me live in your house every day of my life to see how wonderful you are and to pray in your temple.
  5. In times of trouble, you will protect me. You will hide me in your tent and keep me safe on top of a mighty rock.
  6. You will let me defeat all of my enemies. Then I will celebrate, as I enter your tent with animal sacrifices and songs of praise.
  7. Please listen when I pray! Have pity. Answer my prayer.
  8. My heart tells me to pray. I am eager to see your face,
  9. so don't hide from me. I am your servant, and you have helped me. Don't turn from me in anger. You alone keep me safe. Don't reject or desert me.
  10. Even if my father and mother should desert me, you will take care of me.
  11. Teach me to follow, LORD, and lead me on the right path because of my enemies.
  12. Don't let them do to me what they want. People tell lies about me and make terrible threats,
  13. but I know I will live to see how kind you are.
  14. Trust the LORD! Be brave and strong and trust the LORD.

David began this Psalm with his statement of faith: "The LORD is my light and my salvation--whom should I fear?" And the implied answer to this question is "no one." David was confident that he had nothing to fear as long as he made the Lord his light and salvation. The Lord would then "conceal me in His shelter in the day of adversity" and would "hide me under the cover of His tent" and would "set me high on a rock." (27:5) As a result, "my head will be high above my enemies around me." (27:6) Because of his confidence in the Lord, David envisioned praising and worshiping the Lord even before he saw the Lord's deliverance: "I will offer sacrifices in His tent with shouts of joy. I will sing and make music to the LORD."

What the Lord can do, however, is not necessarily what the Lord will do. Prayer is an important key in making the difference between what the Lord can do and what He will do. It is more than a request for His help, but is also a placing of our trust in Him rather than other sources for the help we need. In verse 7 David turned to prayer, making his petition to the Lord to hear and answer his plea for help. He asked the Lord to "hear my voice when I call." (27:7) The Lord had been his help in the past but he could not assume this to be the case in the future, so he asked the Lord, "You have been my help; do not leave me or abandon me." (27:9) Having asked the Lord not to abandon him, how confident was he that the Lord would not abandon him? He was more confident of the Lord's care than of the care of his own parents: "Even if my father and mother abandon me, the LORD cares for me." (27:10) From a human standpoint, our parents are those on whom we can most rely. But God's care is even more reliable. But we must ask.

Having asked the Lord for His help, David returned to his statement of faith: "I am certain that I will see the LORD's goodness in the land of the living." (27:13) And then he gave this advise: "Wait for the LORD." Waiting on the Lord is faith in action. It is in waiting that we truly demonstrate our faith. And the longer the wait the greater our demonstration. For as time passes we are prone to falter and turn our reliance toward other sources. Faith is the key to seeing God act on our behalf, and faith is more than a mental or verbal assent to God's ability and desire to act on our behalf. Waiting on the Lord is our actual expression of faith.

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