Friday March 15th, 2019 Psalm 27
Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD! (verse 14)
Once again the psalmist is under attack, enemies encircle, trouble is the order of the day. But the psalmist displays remarkable trust and hope that the Lord would shelter him, exalt him and instruct him. I wonder if that is how we feel when things are going badly.
The more common approach is to circle the wagons, lick our wounds, bemoan our sorrowful state, lash out at those whom we perceive as the cause of our troubles and, in some cases, even blame God for our ills.
The psalmist is, however, for all his optimistic faith, a realist. He has lived in the world-and with his God-long enough to know that God answers on God’s terms, in God’s time, and not necessarily to the psalmist’s liking (hence, the pleas, “Do not?” in verses 9, 12).
Yet he is confident that God will provide. And so, in the time of trouble, he does not lash out, rather he seeks refuge in worship (verses 4-6), prayer (verses 8-9), and learning (verse 11). Then he waits. Waits for God’s response. Waits for God’s salvation. Waits for God’s righteousness to prevail.
What a remarkable testimony. What a wise path to follow.
Lord Jesus, teach me to wait upon you, confident in your loving salvation. Amen. — DAB
Contributed by Wait for the Lord
Once again the psalmist is under attack, enemies encircle, trouble is the order of the day. But the psalmist displays remarkable trust and hope that the Lord would shelter him, exalt him and instruct him. I wonder if that is how we feel when things are going badly.
The more common approach is to circle the wagons, lick our wounds, bemoan our sorrowful state, lash out at those whom we perceive as the cause of our troubles and, in some cases, even blame God for our ills.
The psalmist is, however, for all his optimistic faith, a realist. He has lived in the world-and with his God-long enough to know that God answers on God's terms, in God's time, and not necessarily to the psalmist's liking (hence, the pleas, "Do not?" in verses 9, 12).
Yet he is confident that God will provide. And so, in the time of trouble, he does not lash out, rather he seeks refuge in worship (verses 4-6), prayer (verses 8-9), and learning (verse 11). Then he waits. Waits for God's response. Waits for God's salvation. Waits for God's righteousness to prevail.
What a remarkable testimony. What a wise path to follow.
