Remaining - Psalm 27
Readings for this week May 27 - 31
Click here for a pdf of this weeks readings.
Day 1 – The Courage to Trust
Silence, Stillness and Centering before God (2 minutes)
Scripture Reading – Psalm 27:1
This psalm is ultimately about having courageous trust in God. Right from the start, with this opening verse, the psalmist (let’s assume it is David) declares the confidence he has in the Lord. “The Lord is my light and salvation – whom shall I fear?” That is confident faith. Even in the midst of fear and the world’s hostility, David knows himself to be surrounded by God’s help and protection. That is his starting point. Is it ours too? Whatever battles we are facing, whatever trials and troubles are afflicting us, we can have confidence in the Lord. This psalm very boldly proclaims this truth from the beginning, as the foundation of the psalmist’s faith.
But as we will see in succeeding verses, David is not unaware of the trials of life and the hardships that come (and we certainly know he faced many of them). He does not deny the reality of suffering; but nor does he exhibit a blind confidence in God based on no evidence whatsoever. As we will see, it is because of the relationship he has with God, and his past experience of God’s character, that he can be so confident in God’s saving presence with him, even in the worst of times. Time spent with God reveals to us more of who God is, and more of who we are – and more of what we are capable of – in him. To know God requires that we spend time with him, that we seek him out, that he become our first port of call. Because once we know who he is, then we know him as the God who saves, protects, and shelters.
Question to Consider
"The Lord is my light and my salvation.” How does this verse provide comfort and encouragement during challenging times in your life?
Prayer
Heavenly Father, I want you as the foundation of my life, of all I do. I want to be able to place my trust – indeed, my entire being – in your hands at all times, no matter what I face. Help me trust you. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Conclude with Silence (2 minutes)
Day 2 – Unshaken in Tough Times
Silence, Stillness and Centering before God (2 minutes)
Scripture Reading – Psalm 27:2-3
Tough times will come; it’s not a case of if, but when, something that the confident assurance expressed in verse 1 notwithstanding, the psalmist clearly and forthrightly recognises. Even a beloved child of God is not immune to the consequences of others’ desires and actions, the attacks of enemies, the pervasive destructive influence of sin and selfishness. But a true child of God, confident that he or she is faithfully and firmly held in God’s protective hand no matter what may come to pass, will not doubt the ultimate fate that awaits his or her enemies. Here David’s words exhibit an enviable peace of mind, a certain assurance of God’s presence with him and God’s power to save. He is determined to remain unshaken in the face of danger. God is with him and God is faithful.
David’s focus is no longer on his own troubles and issues, but on God himself. God is the one and only power and possesses all power and wisdom. Why would David – or anyone, us included – look anywhere else for comfort or rescue? When our creator, redeemer and sustainer is for us, who could be against us? Who could possibly prevail against those God holds in his hand? Hence David’s calm assurance that, whatever happens, he will ultimately be well. He is set free from every anxiety, every concern, because he has set his thoughts firmly upon God. The intensity of his worries fade in the face of God’s constancy and his faithfulness. Everything finds its true place and perspective in the face of God.
Question to Consider
How can we develop the confidence to know that we are always safely held in God’s hand?
Prayer
Loving Lord, may I have the same solid, unbending faith as David did, to trust in you regardless of circumstances, to seek you first in all things, and never waver from your path. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Conclude with Silence (2 minutes)
Day 3 – Shelter in Tough Times
Silence, Stillness and Centering before God (2 minutes)
Scripture Reading – Psalm 27:4-6
So what do we do when trouble strikes? What does this psalm tell us about the right way to respond in times of trouble and strife? What has David learnt? He knows that the only way to withstand such attacks and hardships is to seek the Lord, to seek shelter with him and allow God to deal justly with his enemies. God is his refuge in times of darkness. And notice that when it is time to deal with the enemies that are attacking him, God is the one meting out justice and punishment. The writer is passive, the one who takes refuge and entrusts his life to God, relying on God’s strength and judgement to set things right.
David reels off a plethora of images to express his confidence in God. Even if an army should surround him, God will protect him. When trouble strikes, he will not be destroyed but will be preserved and protected by the Lord, upon a high rock, as impregnable as a fortress. Even hemmed in by all this chaos, when trouble strikes, David’s one desire is to worship in the tabernacle, gazing upon the Lord’s beauty. Why? Because to know the Lord and to know his loving protection is to be filled with joy. Once again, the only possible response to such saving love is joyful worship. Even with enemies all around, and life in the balance, knowing we have a loving God who is for us and who will protect us can only cause us to marvel at his faithfulness and worship his loving goodness that he does not limit in offering us.
Questions to Consider
How does David demonstrate his faith in God during tough times? How are these verses a model for us when we face adversity?
Prayer
Lord God, only by spending time in your presence will I truly come to know you and know your peace that passes understanding – and that will help me stay close to you in darker times. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Conclude with Silence (2 minutes)
Day 4 – A Time to Lament
Silence, Stillness and Centering before God (2 minutes)
Scripture Reading – Psalm 27:7-12
Life is not always good or easy. There is much about our world and ourselves that leaves a lot to be desired, that causes us pain and suffering and confusion, and makes us question God and his decisions: what he seems to allow, what his silence means, where salvation is supposed to be found. Many of the psalms are songs of lament, songs that cry out to God in times of deep distress and sadness, psalms that express deep pain, unfiltered and unprettified, although many of them are deeply beautiful and profound in their recounting of sorrow and confusion. The cry of verse 7 is typical of the opening cry of a lament. Now under attack, David cries out to the one whose shelter and security he was so recently thankful for.
We might be tempted to hold back, to stifle our fears and sorrows, to try and ‘harden up’ in an attempt to be self-reliant. But where else is the best possible place to be open about our fear and pain than in the very presence of the one who made us and knows us better than we know ourselves? Where else could we possibly go for comfort and succour than the loving presence of the God who loves us so much? Why would we think hiding the truth of our fears and worries from God would be helpful? God wants relational intimacy with us, whatever our feelings, whatever our circumstances, however raw and hard and painful it may be for us. In his presence, far more than there could be anywhere else, there is comfort, there is healing, there is understanding, if we will be honest and let him in.
Question to Consider
What keeps you from fully expressing your sorrows and fears to God?
Prayer
Gracious Lord, help me be more honest and open with you; no longer hiding in my fear or sorrow, but seeking openness with you above all else so that I can better be your loving servant. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Conclude with Silence (2 minutes)
Day 5 – Circling Back to the Light
Silence, Stillness and Centering before God (2 minutes)
Scripture Reading – Psalm 27:13-14
As at the beginning, so at the end. The psalm began with the Lord’s name and now it ends with the Lord’s name, a protective bookend for the entire psalm. Beginning with expressions of faith in the Lord and his power to protect, we have been led through verses that expressed confidence in God’s saving power, but also lines that lamented the threats and enemies that assail the psalmist, and that saw him cry out to God for help. The central section of the psalm is both petition and lament, mingling need and sorrow, fear and worry. Now at the end, David closes with a word of trust, circling back to the assurance with which the prayer began. The light of the opening verse finds its echo in the psalmist’s faith that he will ‘see’ the goodness of the Lord; God’s light and beauty are still present.
In John 8:12, Jesus says, "I am the Light of the world; he who follows me will not walk in the darkness but will have the Light of life." God is light, God gives light. He is the one we follow, the one who lights our way; he is the one whose light gives us joy and life, and also guidance and clarity of purpose. In his presence not only is he the one we see, he is also the one we see by, the one whose light illuminates the people and world around us, showing us the reality of where we are, of who we are with, of what we are to do. In his presence truth is revealed: of his love, his protection and his will for us.
Questions to Consider
Having read Psalm 27, how would you define 'faith' and 'trust'? How are they demonstrated in your life? What will you do to grow deeper in your faith and trust in God?
Prayer
Almighty Father, by your Holy Spirit continue to mould me. Help me trust you more and rely more on you and not on my own resources, desires and appetites. Help me be a better follower. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Conclude with Silence (2 minutes)