Psalm 27
Psalm 27
July 14
As many of you may know, a group of men from River City were in Wyoming [ 002 ] this past week on a hiking trip, and I was grateful to be included on this trip again, and if you’ve never gone camping in a national forest, that means there’s no electricity or running water – that sort of thing. And what you find out soon enough is that when the sun goes down, it gets dark and the only light available is whatever the moon and stars themselves produce, or whatever you bring with you. There are no security lights or light pollution or anything.
And as the sun is going down, the darkness comes in slowly, and you’re not too worried about it. You climb in your sleeping bag in the tent and go to bed. But then when nature calls at 2:30am, that darkness feels a lot more real and cold. And I’ll speak for myself on this, but unzipping that tent and crawling out, I’m not careless and nonchalant. I’m listening for bears, looking for movement in the camp. Someone said there were wolves in the area, so I’m on alert for those. This time the darkness feels really dark. You get the sense something is watching you. And only one thing really brings a level of comfort and security when things are that dark, and that is: the light.
You bring a light out of the tent with you, and it’s a different game altogether. In the darkness, every shadow could be a bear in your mind, right? But the light reveals what it really is. Oh, that’s a tree stump. Oh that’s someone’s chair. Oh that’s Dylan. The light reveals what the darkness hides. So you shine it all around and you’re good to go to do what you need to do, or you just dive back into your tent where you feel a little safer until the sun comes up in the morning.
Today, as you heard Lucy read, we are in Psalm 27, [ 003 ] which begins with, “The LORD is my light and my salvation – whom should I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life – whom should I dread? It’s incredible how the sun coming up in the morning brings a sense of relief and security, and deliverance in terms of, okay we made it through the night. There’s nothing to fear or dread anymore. And David says YES, that is what Yahweh is. He’s the sun coming up in the morning that pushes the darkness back and brings security and peace.
David will go on to add in Psalm 119 [ 004 ] speaking of the scriptures– Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. Now, the Bible is not the source of light – only Yahweh himself is the source. The Bible shows us who God is so we can worship him. The light of God’s word shows us how to walk. What do we need a lamp for if we don’t agree the world is a dark place. Look at the language David uses [ 005 ]:
2 When evildoers came against me to devour my flesh… 3 Though an army …makes… war [on] me… I get the picture of a pack of wolves looking to have some sheep for dinner. As a shepherd David has seen that up close, and even now as king of Israel he knows he lives in a world that is filled with evil and corruption and temptation and deception, where there are very real unseen supernatural beings that are bloodthirsty to oppress and influence and harm us and keep us addicted and anxious and fearful. To ignore the light of God’s word, to try and find your way through life without daily seeking the Lord is just foolish.
If you went around the table at David’s community group, and asked for prayer requests, when you get to David – Alright Dave, your turn – any prayer requests? Anything the group can be praying about for you? David would reply, yes. [ 006 ] My request is that I would – 4 … dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life (every single day I’m alive), gazing on the beauty of the Lord and seeking him in his temple. That’s my one request. I don’t want to go a single day of my life without having the light switched on in my life, that reveals the darkness and shows me how and where to walk. I want to stare at his beauty.
And that may sound strange to some of us – the beauty of the Lord – what does that even mean? Well, think about it. What makes something beautiful, whether it’s a person, or a field of flowers, or even just saying it’s a beautiful day. What makes a day beautiful? The temperature is perfect, the sky is perfect, the breeze is just right, the smells are good – all the qualities of the day are desirable and pleasant, and you say, “it’s a beautiful day.” Beauty is the conclusion you arrive at when all the qualities or attributes are desirable and pleasant to you.
David wants to live every day of his life with a full awareness of all of God’s qualities, or his attributes. His wisdom. His power. His protection: 5 For he will conceal me in his shelter in the day of adversity; he will hide me under the cover of his tent; he will set me high on a rock; His deliverance: 6 Then my head will be high above my enemies around me; His glory, his worth: I will offer sacrifices in his tent with shouts of joy. I will sing and make music to the Lord. The light that reveals what is true and what is a lie.
And all of this adds up in verse 3, [ 007 ] that even in the worst of circumstances, My heart will not be afraid, and I will be confident.
David looks at the world around him, full of darkness and enemies and armies trying to take him out, and he understands that his only hope is the daily presence of God. And I think what he’s about to say is something that is true of all of us. [ 008 ] He says in verse 8 My heart says this about you: “Seek his face.”
My heart tells me to seek you. It’s built into every single one of us by our Creator to seek the face of God. The phrase “the face of God” simply means his favor, his presence, his attention. Back in the 90s we used to talk about this as a God-shaped hole that’s inside all of us that only he can fill. It’s built into the heart of every human being, this longing for something more, this longing for security and rest and peace and purpose and hope. Every human being knows what it is to feel that deep longing, a deep emptiness that is ready to overwhelm us if we don’t keep ourselves preoccupied with something.
I think it’s the reason why every dull moment of our lives, in a car, in the bathroom, waiting in line, at a stop light – even while we’re having dinner with the people we love the most in our lives – we have our phones out. We have a deep longing to be connected, we don’t want to miss out on anything, and we want to be seen and noticed and liked – and so we reach for our phones to give that to us. BUT what if all of this longing is really our hearts saying “SEEK HIS FACE!”
You were made for more than just existing, more than just passing the time. Our hearts are constantly telling us: SEEK HIS FACE. That’s the connection you were made for, that’s the security you’re looking for, that’s the place of knowing and being known that you’re looking for!
David didn’t have a cell phone, but he was probably king at this point and so he had plenty of things to take up his attention just like you and me. His heart was drawn to the same temptations that ours are today. But he realizes his heart is longing for the presence of God, so he responds to that by saying [ 009-1 ] : Lord, I will seek your face. But if I do,[ 009-2 ] 9 Do not hide your face from me; do not turn your servant away in anger. You have been my helper; do not leave me or abandon me, God of my salvation.
I wonder if Jesus had this in mind in Matthew 7 when he said, ask and it will be given to you; knock and door will be opened to you; seek and you will find. His promise to you and to me is that if you will listen to the longing of your heart, and seek the presence of God all the days of your life, it is a guarantee of Jesus himself that you will find what you’re looking for. It might not be in the way you expect, but he will reveal himself to you.
David’s circumstances don’t seem to have changed at all in this Psalm. Last week, we saw a dramatic shift in his circumstances, but not this week. This week is a call to keep seeking the Lord, even when the circumstances don’t change. Sometimes it gets worse before it gets better.
I don’t know what all is happening here, but in the Christian Standard Bible, in verse 10 David says [ 010 ] , Even if my father and mother abandon me, the Lord cares for me. In some other translations, like the ESV, it’s not an if. [ 011 ] 10 For my father and my mother have forsaken me, but the Lord will take me in.
We look at the word “abandon” or “forsaking” in our language, and we get the idea of someone leaving us hanging in a moment of need. The whole family is cleaning the house together and suddenly one person is gone, and you find them reading a book or something. Hey, you abandoned us.
In verse 10, that word “abandon” can also mean, you are unable to help me, or even so far as, you are more of a burden than a help. Maybe some of you know what that’s like, especially if you’re a first generation Christian, where you are trying to follow the Lord, trying to seek out his purpose for your life, trying to trust God through some challenge, and you feel like the people closest to you are not being helpful at all! Your spouse isn’t a believer, so they aren’t supportive and even make things difficult. Your parents have other plans for you, so they question you and argue with you about the decisions you’re making. Your adult children think you should slow down and stop serving so much.
Back in 1 Sam 22, David’s parents were with him while he was on the run with 400 men who were discontent, in debt, or desperate. You don’t think David’s parents were giving him advice the whole time they were in the cave? You don’t think some of those discontented men weren’t saying, hey, let’s try this. You don’t think some of those desperate men weren’t freaking out in the cave, bugging David about what was on the agenda for the day, maybe even threatening to reveal his hiding place if he doesn’t do something? You don’t think someone in his own camp that is desperate or discontent tried to blackmail him along the way?
David learned from those past experiences in the cave, and now in Psalm 27 as king, he knows how to stay anchored in what is true: [ 012 ] Verse 11 Show me YOUR way, Lord. Lead me on YOUR path. Once again, I’ve got people breathing in my ear all kinds of falsehoods, even threatening me, and Lord, I don’t want to go anywhere you don’t want me to go. I don’t want any of my enemies to have anything they can use against me. I don’t want to give them a foothold, I don’t want them to mock your name because of me – So lead me, Lord God.
And you can see the confidence from verse 3 here at the end [ 013-1 ] – 13 I am certain that I will see the Lord’s goodness (His promises, his attributes, his beauty, his mercy, his provision) in the land of the living (before I get to the graveyard). And his encouragement to himself and to all of us, is in verse [ 013-2 ] 14 Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart be courageous. Wait for the Lord.
What does it mean to wait for the Lord? Does it mean when we are up against some trial or we have a decision to make, we just sit on the couch with Netflix and nachos - Hey I prayed about this, and now we’ll just sit here until God takes care of this situation for us? One pastor suggests that waiting on the Lord means “actively stepping into the challenges of life, but sticking to God’s revealed way of doing things.” For example:
- Something happens at work that is your fault. But you blame someone else or make excuses. That’s not waiting on God. Taking the blame, telling the truth, and trusting the outcome to God because it’s the right thing to do – that’s waiting on God.
- Someone makes a comment that hurts you. Your heart is crushed. So you retaliate with anger, you throw back a comment of your own that is sure to hurt them in return. That’s not waiting on God. Taking your hurt to the Father, acting on Jesus’ words to pray for those who hurt you, you trust that God will take care of you and will handle the payback – that’s waiting on God.
- You are unhappy in your singleness or in your marriage, or your expectations aren’t being fulfilled, so you reach for some pornography or 50 Shades of something, and indulge yourself, or mentally start dreaming about how nice a divorce would be. That’s not waiting on God. Praying for your spouse, asking God to change YOU so that you love them, seeking help, and trusting God to restore you both as you seek him together, trusting God with your singleness that he’ll meet your needs in the right way at the right time – that’s waiting on God.
- The former President, perhaps your choice for the next election as well, gets shot at, so you throw a certain political party or group of people under the bus, drive over them back and forth until you’ve made your opinions very clear. That’s not waiting on God. Being slow to speak, slow to judgment, and quick to pray for both the current and past president and our country as a whole, deepening your commitment to the true King and his kingdom – that’s waiting on God.
Again this Psalm points us to Jesus. Jesus knew and believed Psalm 27. [ 014-1 ]On the night he was betrayed, Jesus literally saw verse 2 happening as evildoers advanced against him. The religious leaders of the day, whose hearts were black with deception and cunning and wickedness, had surrounded him, employing Roman soldiers to come with them. [ 014-2 ] And yet Jesus wasn’t afraid of the evil. He didn’t dread this moment. He was 100% confident in his Father’s will, and he would stick to it, knowing that his Heavenly Father would never abandon him.
After his arrest, [ 014-3 ] Jesus was put on trial where false witnesses came forward to accuse him. They put words in his mouth, and twisted the meaning of things he had said fulfilling Psalm 27 verse 12.
[ 014-4 ] Jesus’ flesh really was devoured at the whipping post, and then at the cross. [ 014-5 ] I’m sure Mary and Joseph poured a lot into Jesus’ life as he was growing up, but as Jesus faces the cross, Joseph is dead and Mary is not able to do anything to comfort him or help him. His own brothers don’t even believe in him and His disciples have scattered. He’s alone. The closest people in his life are unable to walk with him through this – Only his Heavenly Father is able to be there for him.
One of the most incredible verses in all of scripture to me is in John 18 where Jesus is finishing up dinner with the disciples, he knows it’s his last one before he is betrayed, and they are ready to head out to their campsite for the night. Judas the betrayer has already gone out to gather the religious leaders and the army together to arrest Jesus, because he knows exactly where Jesus is going to be that night. And John 18:4 says, “Then Jesus, knowing everything that was going to happen to him, went out to them...” Out to the evildoers. Out to the wolves who would devour him.
Where does that kind of confidence come from? He’s not afraid. He has no dread. His heart is sorrowful, he’s not looking forward to this, but he steps out into the darkness of the night knowing that he is held by the promises and faithfulness and the beauty of his Father, confident that Psalm 27:13 was true of him – that he would not be abandoned to the graveyard, but that he would see the goodness of his Father in the land of the living: that resurrection would come on the other side of the cross.
And on the third day, Jesus’ confidence was rewarded. God the Father raised him from the dead, giving him all authority in heaven and on earth, and 40 days later, ascended him back to the throne at his right hand, giving him the name above all names, crowning him with glory and honor.
That is waiting on the Lord. Sticking to the plan and purpose of God, actively, intentionally doing what you know is right in God’s eyes and trusting the Father to meet you on the other side. And you carry with you the whole time this guarantee of Jesus that even if the most important people in your life don’t show up for you in those moments, your heavenly father will never leave you hanging. That is a kind of peace and security and confidence the world cannot offer you. No banker or insurance company or stock broker or home security system or political party can offer you that kind of peace.
In fact, it’s so foreign to the world that they will mock you for even considering it. Expect it. They won’t get it. They cannot grasp why you would say no to dating someone because they aren’t a Christian, or why you wouldn’t just move in together before you are married. They can’t grasp why you would tell the truth and lose your job when lying would have saved it. They can’t understand why you would stick it out with a spouse that has cheated on you when you have every reason to bolt. They cannot grasp why you don’t seem rattled by the news reports, and you aren’t taking sides. Jesus offers us a peace that the world simply cannot understand.
John 18:4 says, Jesus knew everything that would happen to him, and he went out. You and I can only do half of that. We can’t do the first part. We don’t know everything that’s going to happen. We have no idea what the next hour brings or the next year brings or where we’ll be in 10 years or 10 minutes. As many of you know, one phone call can rock everything, and your life is never the same after that. You and I can’t know everything that will happen to us or to our church or to our country… but we can do the second part.
We can step out in confidence that as we seek the Lord, no matter what our circumstances, and with his help stick to doing things his way, that he will be faithful to his word. He will be our light. He will be our salvation. He is our stronghold. Our shelter. Our refuge.
[ 016 (blank)] Back to Wyoming and I’ll close with this. On Tuesday, we did a short hike – about a mile and a half, and the plan for the day was go get to this point, turn around and retrace our steps. But when we got to the turn around point, we decided to bite off more than we could chew and extend the hike another 10 miles. So, off we go. In our group, there were four guys under 40, and four guys over 40. We more or less agreed that the younger guys could go at their pace and the older guys at our pace.
The younger guys took off up the trail and over the hill and were out of sight in no time. A short while later, the over 40 group arrived at where the other group had gone up the hill, and saw a fork in the trail. One branch headed in the direction we were planning to go, the other trail went what looked like the wrong way. Our destination was to the right, but this trail went to the left.
Frank pulled out the map to double check which way to go, and that was when we realized that the path to the right – the way the first group went – was a 2 or 3 mile dead end. It looked like the obvious choice because it pointed in the direction we eventually needed to go. I realize that I might be making the young guys sound foolish like they just charged ahead without thinking, but had Frank not pulled out the map, we would have gone that way too. So he ran to the top of the hill to get phone reception, called them, and alerted them to the truth about the path they were on.
In a world that is increasingly dark, full of deception and corruption and false saviors, with a very real adversary who wants nothing more than for you and me to chase dead ends that appear to give life but in the end leave us hanging, David knew the only way to know for certain he was on the right path was to seek the presence of God every day of his life. To daily immerse himself in the truth, in the attributes of God, seeking him for direction and life. To live every moment of his life in the light.
For the time of prayer today I want to leave you with [ 017 ] this question: Where are you tempted to step away from God’s will for your life? Where are you tempted to take a shortcut toward what looks like the way you want to go, but God’s word would say is a dead end? Thinking about divorce? Are you looking to alcohol to fill some emptiness or meet a need? Financial security to give you some peace? Pornography or even an emotional affair with someone? Are you angry? Resentful toward someone and you’re plotting your revenge? Do you find hatred toward that certain political party much easier today?
Where are you tempted to step outside of God’s will instead of waiting on him and trusting him to be faithful to his own word, faithful to his own character, faithful to his own beauty?
I’m going to give you a minute to seek the Lord right now. You probably already know the answer to my question, but I’ll give you a few minutes to take it to him in prayer. And whatever he brings to your mind, call it what it is. Call it sin. Rebellion against God. Confess it. And then ask him to redirect you to the right paths, no matter what it may take to bring you back to the truth, trusting him to take care of everything else. 1 John chapter 2 tells us that Jesus Christ himself has already atoned for your sin, so that means you don’t have to earn your way back to him by being good. You don’t have to make penances, or try to make sure your good outweighs your bad. You simply trust that his work is enough, that it’s finished, and that repentance is coming home to the Father. Let him lift your head, look you in the eyes, and say he loves you.