Psalm 27 (To Gaze Upon His Beauty Pt. 7)
Psalm 27
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 eat up my flesh, my adversaries and foes, it is they who stumble and fall. 3 Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war arise against me, yet I will be confident. 4 One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon 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 lift me high upon a rock. 6 And now my head shall be 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 You have said, “Seek my face.” My heart says to you, “Your face, Lord, do I seek.” 9 Hide not your face from me. Turn not your servant away in anger, O you who have been my help. Cast me not off; forsake me not, O God of my salvation! 10 For my father and my mother have forsaken me, but the Lord will take me in.
11 Teach me your way, O Lord, and lead me on a level path because of my enemies.
12 Give me not up to the will of my adversaries; for false witnesses have risen against me, and they breathe out violence. 13 I believe that I shall look upon 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!
Confronting Fear
Fear is mentioned 3 times. Enemies, adversaries, or war is mentioned 8 times.
This Psalm is a manual for how to navigate the tension that we live in as Christians. Jesus prayed something in John 17:14-16 that brings perspective to the reality of our situation:
I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 15 I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.
Fear in one direction is probably connected to an open door, something I read in the news, or a lie that we are believing… but FEAR ON EVERY SIDE is likely evidence of a spirit of fear messing with you.
For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, 7 for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. — 2 Timothy 1:6-7
FEAR GO; HOLY SPIRIT, COME.
So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. 17 By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world. 18 There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. — 1 John 4:16-18
He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. 2 I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” 3 For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence. 4 He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler. 5 You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day, 6 nor the pestilence that stalks in darkness, nor the destruction that wastes at noonday. — Psalm 91:1-6
Finding Shelter in the HOUSE of the Lord
44 times throughout the Psalms, David speaks of the House of the Lord.
Psalm 26:8 — O Lord, I love the habitation of your house and the place where your glory dwells.
Psalm 36:7-8 — How precious is your steadfast love, O God! The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of your wings. 8 They feast on the abundance of your house, and you give them drink from the river of your delights.
Psalm 84:4 — Blessed are those who dwell in your house, ever singing your praise! Selah
Psalm 84:10 — For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness.
Promises are connected to THE HOUSE:
He will hide me
He will conceal me
He will lift me high upon a rock…
“And NOW my head will be lifted up above my enemies all around me”
This is the perspective change that happens in the Presence of the Lord.
And the easiest place we know to find His Presence is in His house.
In the Old Covenant… His house was the temple.
In the New Covenant, His House is anywhere that His People gather in spirit and in truth.
Waiting out Your Warfare
Wait — to remain, to tarry, to hope
“I am binding myself to this place/promise/posture until the Lord comes.”
Wait/hope are almost interchangeable in the Hebrew language.
Psalm 33:20 — Our soul waits for the Lord; he is our help and our shield.
Psalm 37:7 — Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices!
Psalm 39:7 — And now, O Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in you.
IN TIMES OF WAITING, YOUR HOPE GETS REVEALED!
IN TIMES OF WAITING, YOUR FALSE HOPES GET EXPOSED.
In times of waiting, Your true hope in the Lord has an opportunity to be refined.
David’s ultimate hope in the middle of the warfare, fear and tension came down to two really powerful convictions that He had…
27:3 — “thought war arise against me, in this I will be CONFIDENT. One thing have I ask of the Lord…”
David’s confidence was in the safety, refuge and protection of God’s HOUSE and God’s PRESENCE.
27:13-14 — “I believe that I shall look upon 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!”
David’s confidence was in the coming goodness of God into his earthly circumstances. (“I would have despaired had I not believed…”)
In warfare, we would all agree that victory and defeat are both possible.
I want to show us what I personally believe is the Biblical definition of defeat.
For everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? — 1 John 5:4-5
I waited patiently for the Lord; he inclined to me and heard my cry. He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure. He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the Lord. — Psalm 40:1-3