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?
When evildoers assail me
to devour my flesh—
my adversaries and foes—
they shall stumble and fall.
Though an army encamp against me,
my heart shall not fear;
though war rise up against me,
yet I will be confident.
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.
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.
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.
Hear, O Lord, when I cry aloud,
be gracious to me and answer me!
‘Come,’ my heart says, ‘seek his face!’
Your face, Lord, do I seek.
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!
If my father and mother forsake me,
the Lord will take me up.
Teach me your way, O Lord,
and lead me on a level path
because of my enemies.
Do not give me up to the will of my adversaries,
for false witnesses have risen against me,
and they are breathing out violence.
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!
Observation: Psalm 27 is a cry for God's help from enemies, but it's also an announcement of confidence in victory with God's help. What strikes me most today, though, is the longing, "to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life."
Application: Like everyone else in the midst of this health crisis, I have good and bad days, spiritually speaking. Some days I feel God's presence strongly, and other days I feel a little empty. I know it's not because God is any less present on the bad days, it's just my own inability to notice and celebrate God's presence that gets in the way.
On the hard days, a text like this hits extra hard: the longing to dwell in God's house, the promise of gathering together in worship and offering "shouts of joy." Those days will come again. But in the meantime, the advice I glean from this text is in verse 8, "Come, my heart says, seek his face! Your face O Lord do I seek." And in verse 14, "wait for the Lord, be strong and let your heart take courage." It's easier said than done, of course, but what I do know is: when I least feel like praying, or turning to God's Word, or reflecting on ways God has shown God's face to me in recent days, that's when I most need to do it.
Prayer: God, today is a day when I need to seek your face. Help me find you in the faces of others. Amen.
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