Monday August 3, 2020

Psalm 27:1, 13-14

1 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?

13 I remain confident of this:
    I will see the goodness of the Lord
    in the land of the living.

14 Wait for the Lord;
    be strong and take heart
    and wait for the Lord.

I often come back to these three verses of Psalm 27 to find hope and an extra measure of patience.

Even though the Psalms were written thousands of years ago, they still model for us a way to think about and pray through the threats of life we may be facing today. The enemies of our life may not be the same as in biblical times, but they are no less real.

Notice that in Psalm 27:1, King David describes how he pictures God in his mind. He proclaims “The Lord is my light and my salvation…the Lord is the stronghold of my life.”

Without light, we cannot clearly see the path ahead of us and we walk in danger of stalling, stumbling or falling into darkness. The light of God’s presence is a treasured gift of illumination. King David poetically asks the same rhetorical question twice, to emphasize his great confidence in God – “Whom shall I fear”?

Of course, there are times throughout history and throughout our own lifespans when the threats of life appear to have the upper hand. King David models for us that in the most troubling of times we need to pause and remember God’s goodness, proclaim our confidence in God, and eagerly look for God’s goodness in this day (v.13).

King David also encourages us, with his ancient voice, to “qavah” (v.14). “Qavah” is a Hebrew word translated here as “wait.” But “qavah” actually means much more than just waiting, it means to wait eagerly, to look for, to expect, to actively wait in hope.

We will have the strength to endure whatever comes our way, because we eagerly wait in hope, confidently proclaiming the goodness of God.

• What words in these verses from Psalm 27 especially stood out for you as you read them?
• How could you, in your own unique way, proclaim your confidence in the goodness of God today?

Lord, you are my light and my salvation, You are the stronghold of my life. I am confident that I will see Your goodness today. So I am eagerly waiting in hope for You. I will be strong. I will take heart. I will eagerly wait in hope for You, Lord. Amen.