Scripture Reading(s)
Psalm 27:1, 4-9
27:1 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?
27:4 One thing I asked of the Lord, that I will seek after: to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple.
27:5 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 set me high on a rock.
27:6 Now my head is 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.
27:7 Hear, O Lord, when I cry aloud, be gracious to me and answer me!
27:8 “Come,” my heart says, “seek his face!” Your face, Lord, do I seek.
27:9 Do not hide your face from me. Do not turn your servant away in anger, you who have been my help. Do not cast me off, do not forsake me, O God of my salvation!
Reflections
Whenever I am facing a hard to frightening situation, it is unfortunate that as a follower of Christ, my initial reaction is not to pray the words found in verse 1. Instead I get so caught up in my situation that I allow for myself to become anxious, doubtful and untrusting of God’s goodness and faithfulness. I forget that He is completely sovereign and has everything under His loving and controlling hand.
Fear is a strong emotion and can either drive you to be crippled or enable to be proactive and find a solution. In this case, our fear should never cripple us but move us to recall that God is in control and loves us to never stop working in our lives.
When I read this Psalm it reminds me that not only is the Lord my salvation and has saved me from eternal damnation, but I am also reminded that He cares for every detail of my life and He hears and understands my cries. The Lord of the universe who created the entire world, cares for my fears! These verses are a desperate cry of one who is yearning for God’s gracious and loving hand. I firmly believe that when we come to God with an open heart, He will answer us.
Many times throughout the course of my life, I feel the ground beneath my feet begin to shake due to an unexpected or scary situation. Yet, when I take a moment to pause and reflect on all the times God has shown His faithfulness and I cry out to Him, my heart is filled with both peace and gratitude.
We serve a God who is able to do the impossible and take care of all our needs. Come to Him with your worries and trust that He will “hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble; he will conceal me under the cover of his tent: he will set me high on a rock.” This is a promise that God is always looking after us. There is nothing that can thwart His loving and protective hand from actively working in our lives.
There are times when waiting on the Lord seems like a million years. I think we’ve all been there. Whether we need financial help, or relational solutions, or anything else, it is hard to wait while we are in the middle of the mess. Yet, it is this exactly the process that makes us better Christians and stronger people.
James wrote to Christians in the middle of the first century that experienced great trials but he told them this very important piece of information:
Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
Do not give up on the Lord, He is busy perfecting you.
[Featured image from biblia.com]