Psalm 27 • Psalm 1
The Rev. Dr. Israel Ahimbisibwe
Psalm 27 is a psalm of David that is brimming with good news about two aspects of our human experience. I have called this good news “the sufficiency of God’s love to meet our needs.”
The Psalmist acknowledges these two very human experiences:
- That we get afraid
- That we feel abandoned
Loneliness, the pain of grief, the loss of a dear one, sorrow, failure to do or to get what you want, the daily frustrations about this or that, the fear of sickness and death – all of these make us afraid and feel abandoned.
We often think that if we belong to God, we should live in a world where these do not exist – but God did not promise that life would be without problems.
What He promises instead is that He is the light of our salvation and that we do not need to be afraid of our problems. That is the meaning of verse 2, which says, “The Lord is my fortress, protecting me from danger, so why should I tremble?”
In verse 10 the Psalmist recognizes God’s promise to be near to us, affirming that “even if my father and mother abandon me, the Lord will hold me close.” God promises to be close to the brokenhearted and to be their source of power, courage, and wisdom, helping them through their problems.
When problems come, God does not want you to be frustrated. Instead, He wants you to admit that you need His help and to thank Him for being by your side.
Psalm 1 tells us, “Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners, but instead delights in the law of the Lord, and on His law he meditates day and night.” The more we know about God’s word, the more resources we will have to guide us when problems come.
Sometimes we need to wait patiently, though, as verse 14 says. David was speaking from personal experience. He was anointed to be the king of Israel at the age of 16, but did not actually become king until he was 30.
Waiting for God is not easy, but the moment we think that He is not listening to us is the moment we are not allowing Him to be in control.
Sometimes when we are waiting for God, it becomes a time to refresh, a time to renew, or a time to teach ourselves.