4 Reminders from Psalm 27 to Build a Courageous Faith
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The Psalms are overflowing with words of confession, anxiety, hope, and encouragement. When you have no words to express how you are feeling, there is a Psalm to turn to. Throughout my Christian walk, I have often read Psalm 27. It has given me encouragement, but as I read this Psalm with fresh eyes, I realize it is deeper than you might think.
Psalm 27 teaches us about courageous trust in the Lord. This passage clearly shows us where our confidence should lie and where we should seek solace in troublesome times.
What Is Psalm 27 About?
Like many of the Psalms, David pens the words of Psalm 27. Some scholars believe he may have written this one in the days before he became king. In the books of 1 and 2 Samuel, we encounter David as a young shepherd boy that God calls to be the King of Israel. Then we witness the danger, battles, and fugitive life that David encounters while running from King Saul, the current king of Israel. When David ascends his God-given throne, the trials of his life do not end.
Throughout David’s reign, he fears for his life. He falls into the sin of lust and takes Bathsheba as his wife, only after ordering her husband Uriah killed. His son Absalom kills his other son Amnon, David is cursed by a member of Saul’s clan, and later David is deserted by his own people. The list could go on and on. David’s life is riddled with heartache and upset, but one thing remained, that is his heart for the God of Israel.
In this Psalm, David is sharing his courageous trust in the Lord. He writes words from his heart that tells us how confident he is in the Lord. He seeks out the Lord for his blessings and his protection.
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What Do We Learn About God’s Love and Character?
Psalm 27 is rich with lessons we can learn about God’s character and the love He has for us.
1. We Can Always Have Confidence in the Lord
The first three verses stress the confidence that David had in the Lord. He begins in verse one with these words, “The Lord is my light and my salvation–whom shall I fear?” In verse two, David is almost bragging about his enemies being defeated. David then ends verse three with the words “though war break out against me, even then will I be confident.”
David’s words are powerful. We may not be fighting battles like David, but we are fighting battles. Each day we fight temptation, greed, and lust. We fight to keep ourselves set apart from this world. In those battles, we experience our enemies rise against us with hurtful words or deeds. But we can brag that even though the enemies come, our Lord will defeat them. We can be confident that our God will never leave us.
Despite the heaviness of David’s situation, he was confident that God had the perfect plan for him. We can be confident too. God has the perfect plan for our lives, and no enemy will stand in God’s way. Hebrews 4:16 states “Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” David was approaching God’s throne with confidence and so shall we.
2. God Desires for Us to Seek Him for Ourselves
In verses four through six, David is seeking the Lord. He is exclaiming his desire to commune with Him in the safety of his “sacred tent.” David wants to sing, make music, and shout for joy in the presence of God. Ultimately, David is seeking joy that can only come from communing with the Lord.
John Piper wrote, “Communion with God is not merely learning about God but enjoying fellowship with God in the truth he reveals about himself.” David expresses his desire to not only learn about God, but he wants to be with God in His temple and make music with the Lord.
Today, God still wants His children to commune with Him. He wants us to read our Bibles and learn more about who He is. He wants to hear us praise him in word, song, and deed. When God created Adam and Eve and placed them in the Garden of Eden, He walked among them. (Genesis 3:8) God wanted to be with His creation and that includes you and I. God gave us the gift of the Holy Spirit so that we could commune daily with Him.
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3. God Will Never Forsake Us
David had spent many years fighting and running. Through it all, he never lost faith in God. He was confident that the God he served would never forsake him. Verses 9-10 of this psalm show David crying out for God to not turn His face from him. The last words David says in verse 10 are “the Lord will receive me.”
Our God will never leave nor forsake us. He has promised to never turn away from us. In Philippians 1:6 we are told that the one that began a good work in us will carry it on to completion. No matter how bad our trials are or how hopeless we feel, God will not leave us. God is going to be present in your life, even when everyone else has turned their backs on you. David knew he was never alone on the battlefield or in the caves. We are never alone on our battlefields as well.
4. God Is Trustworthy
Inevitably, we will face trials on this Earth. We will feel like we cannot handle anything else. Our patience begins to run dry and life seems hopeless. It is in these moments we can trust our God. Verse 14 speaks of waiting for the Lord. When we wait for something or someone, we are expressing our trust in that person or action.
God is the only thing we can trust in. He has proven over and over that he will keep his promises. He will show up at just the right moment to rescue us. We can take that to the bank. Each time David was in a precarious situation, he could trust God to take care of it. God has not changed from the time of David. We worship the same God David did, and we can trust that same God.
How Does Psalm 27 Encourage Us in Difficult Times Today?
All one must do is look around to see the difficulties we are living in. We are dealing with a pandemic and the effects of restrictions and lockdowns. We have just been through a presidential campaign that was filled with harsh words. Our country has become divided because of racism, equality issues, and questions regarding the sanctity of human life.
We are living in difficult times on a global scale. It is now more than ever that we need to place the words of Psalm 27 in our hearts. This Psalm is one of courage, trust, and confidence. David’s words remind us that even in the difficult times we can persevere because our God has perfect timing and the perfect plan. There is no need to panic and develop our plans to fix the problem. We can have confidence that if we turn to God for strength, knowledge, and wisdom, we will know what our part in the solutions is. We can be confident that our Lord will never turn his face from us.
In the hard times, we can focus on the joy that only comes from faith in our Lord. We can trust that He will keep us safe from our enemies. His children can commune with the Father and experience peace in chaos. David did not dwell in his problems; he continued to praise the Lord and show confidence in God. We can do this today. Even in the tough times, we can praise Him because we have the confidence that we will come out on the other side of the valley victorious.
Psalm 27 has beautiful lessons we can learn from. Through David’s words, we are encouraged. We can experience hope, security, and rest. Our God is great and is on the throne in heaven. He is our light and our salvation, the source of all things good.
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