Psalm 27 by Trish Reimer

 Observe:
Psalm 27 is divided into roughly four sections.  The first section is verses 1-3 where David expresses his confidence in the Lord.  In verses 4-6 David speaks about his communion with the Lord and the benefits he receives from this communion.  David expresses his desire towards God as well as the favour and grace He bestows on David in verses 7-9, 11 and 12.  Lastly, David’s expectations from God and the encouragement he gives others to hope in the Lord is stated in verses 10, 13, and 14.

Interpretation and Application:
David’s confidence is evident as he recognizes the fact that the Lord will be with us, not only in the past but also in the future.  He will not leave us by ourselves. Whatever happens in our life, we can be confident that God will walk alongside us…during a pandemic, during loss of family and friends, during good times and bad.  We need not fear…He is in control. The one thing that David desired above all is that he would dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of his life.  He talks of four places to find God – in the house of the Lord, in the Lord’s temple, in His sacred tent and in His hiding place.  God lives in heaven and God lives in us as we are the house of the Lord.  He is our hiding place.  Just as God kept Elijah from the storm, wind and rain, God hides us in the cleft of the Rock (Christ), shelters us and speaks to us in a still, small voice if we are willing to listen.  David’s cry for the Lord to hear his voice as he cries out to Him is applicable for us today.  Do we fully believe that whatever happens, the Lord will receive us, teach us, lead us and stand beside us? (vs.10 – 13)  The psalm ends the way it began – with David’s confidence in the Lord.  However, we are left with a final challenge…to wait.  Personally, I am a person with little patience and find it difficult to wait for many things – the driver ahead of me to move a little faster when there is an advanced light, waiting for others to make decisions that might affect me, waiting in anticipation for a special holiday or celebration and the list goes on.  Often it’s difficult to take a deep breath and tell myself that in the grand scheme of things waiting a little longer won’t make that much difference.  In our Christian life we often get impatient as well.  We want God to answer now (if not yesterday) and fail to see the bigger picture.  If we think of life as say, a rope that is two feet long, we might perhaps only see a half inch of that rope whereas God sees the whole rope.  We must learn to be patient and wait for Him.  He is our strength and salvation and we need not fear as He is the strength of our life!

Prayer:
Heavenly Father, you are our light and salvation.  No matter what comes, you are our hiding place and our Rock.  Help us to wait patiently for you and have confidence that you will help us where we are now and in the future.  In Christ’s name, Amen.

Song:  The Lord is My Light and My Salvation