An Exuberant Declaration of Faith
A Psalm of David.
“The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? When the wicked came against me to eat[devour] up my flesh, my enemies and foes, they stumbled and fell. Though an army may encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war may rise against me, in this I will be confident.
One thing I have desired of the Lord, that will I seek: That I may dwell 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. For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion; in the secret place of His tabernacle He shall hide me; He shall set me high upon a rock. And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies all around me; therefore I will offer sacrifices of joy in His tabernacle; I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the Lord.
Hear, O Lord, when I cry with my voice! Have mercy also upon me, and answer me. When You said, “Seek My face,” My heart said to You, “Your face, Lord, I will seek.”
Do not hide Your face from me; do not turn Your servant away in anger; You have been my help; do not leave me nor forsake me, O God of my salvation. When my father and my mother forsake me, then the Lord will take care of me.
Teach me Your way, O Lord, and lead me in a smooth path, because of my enemies. Do not deliver me to the will of my adversaries; for false witnesses have risen against me, and such as breathe out violence.
I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; wait, I say, on the Lord!”
““The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? When the wicked came against me to eat[devour] up my flesh, my enemies and foes, they stumbled and fell. Though an army may encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war may rise against me, in this I will be confident.”
This psalm is another wonderful source of comfort and encouragement. While we might be brave during the day, it’s a different matter in the middle of the night with nothing to distract us. That’s when fears can attack and even overwhelm us. That’s when we KNOW we are not sufficient within ourselves. That’s when we KNOW we need the power of the One True Living God.
“One thing I have desired of the Lord, that will I seek: That I may dwell 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. For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion; in the secret place of His tabernacle He shall hide me; He shall set me high upon a rock. And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies all around me; therefore I will offer sacrifices of joy in His tabernacle; I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the Lord. Hear, O Lord, when I cry with my voice! Have mercy also upon me, and answer me. When You said, “Seek My face,” My heart said to You, “Your face, Lord, I will seek.”
Where can we find sanctuary and safety? Only with God. Does David really want to live in the temple for the rest of his life? Not really. But no matter where David is, for the rest of his life, he will continue to seek the Lord. David’s knowledge of God’s mercy exhilarates him and he breaks into songs of praise.
“Do not hide Your face from me; do not turn Your servant away in anger; You have been my help; do not leave me nor forsake me, O God of my salvation. When my father and my mother forsake me, then the Lord will take care of me.” Remember that David’s father thought so little of him that he was willing to leave David herding sheep in the wilderness at the mercy of wild animals.
“Teach me Your way, O Lord, and lead me in a smooth path, because of my enemies. Do not deliver me to the will of my adversaries; for false witnesses have risen against me, and such as breathe out violence.” When we call on God, He will answer and deliver us.
“I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; wait, I say, on the Lord!” This is David’s conclusion after all his problems and an encouragement for the rest of us.
APPLICATION: Whenever I read this psalm, I hear my mother’s voice. My beloved mother had a lovely soprano voice and frequently sang solos in church. One of my mother’s favorites was a setting of this psalm. When my mother died suddenly with cancer in 1980, we requested the organist play the music for that solo as part of the prelude music.
We have spent nearly half our lives in cross-cultural situations. Some days we feel as if we are engaged in a log-rolling contest while wearing slick tennis shoes rather than spiked boots. Maintaining our equilibrium can pose a major challenge. Sometimes we find ourselves vibrating from surging emotions. This psalm is one of my go-to scriptures whenever I am facing stress, danger, or criticism. I find that reading this psalm aloud several times calms and soothes me.
Read this psalm over three times and see what it does for you. You’re going to find your muscles relaxing as you de-stress.
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, let the message of this psalm permeate our hearts and calm us. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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