The Lord is my Salvation – Psalm 27
1 The Lord is my light and my salvation;
whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life;
of whom shall I be afraid?
2 When evildoers assail me
to devour my flesh—
my adversaries and foes—
they shall stumble and fall.
3 Though an army encamp against me,
my heart shall not fear;
though war rise up against me,
yet I will be confident.
4 One thing I asked of the Lord,
that will I seek after:
to live 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.
5 For he will hide me in his shelter
in the day of trouble;
he will conceal me under the cover of his tent;
he will set me high on a rock.
6 Now my head is lifted up
above my enemies all around me,
and I will offer in his tent
sacrifices with shouts of joy;
I will sing and make melody to the Lord.
7 Hear, O Lord, when I cry aloud,
be gracious to me and answer me!
8 “Come,” my heart says, “seek his face!”
Your face, Lord, do I seek.
9 Do not hide your face from me.
Do not turn your servant away in anger,
you who have been my help.
Do not cast me off, do not forsake me,
O God of my salvation!
10 If my father and mother forsake me,
the Lord will take me up.
11 Teach me your way, O Lord,
and lead me on a level path
because of my enemies.
12 Do not give me up to the will of my adversaries,
for false witnesses have risen against me,
and they are breathing out violence.
13 I believe that I shall see the goodness of the Lord
in the land of the living.
14 Wait for the Lord;
be strong, and let your heart take courage;
wait for the Lord!
What does the passage say?
V. 1-3 David, the Psalmist, proclaims a statement of faith. “The Lord is my light and salvation; whom shall I fear?” (v.1 NRSV). Even though his enemies surround him, he has courage and confidence that God will be his protection. (v.3 NRSV)
V. 4-10 In this situation David seeks for one thing: to ‘seek the face of God’ (v.8 NRSV). He longs to be in the temple of the Lord, believing that is the source of his salvation and solution to his problems. Even though everyone forsakes him, he understands that God will abandon him, who earnestly seeks the face of God.
V. 11-14 David asks God to teach him how to get out of this situation. However, it can also mean what he needs to learn from this situation. And like Abraham had done, David believed. Even though nothing was yet to happen, he says, “I believe that I shall see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord, be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord” (v. 13-14 NRSV).
What does this mean to me/us
In tough times, how much do you focus on the face of God?
When hardship comes, we can quickly become discouraged. And this can lead us to be focused on the situations.
That might be the reason David is crying out for help. Not only because his situation is hopeless, but also due to the surrounding he might lost his focus on God. When we fail to see God, we will lose everything.
However, as we focus our hearts on the Lord, and His promise, we will be able to proclaim victory over the situation.
That is a reason we need to pray. Prayer focuses us back on track. Prayer reassures God’s promise. And Prayer helps us to proclaim God’s victory over the problems.
This is the reason we can still believe, even though nothing happens. This is the reason why we can wait, wait for God’s will to be done.
How are you waiting?
What does this MEAN to you?
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