Hello, I’m Daniel Westfall on the channel “Pray with Me”.
Psalm 27 starts, “The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear?” It is a favorite psalm, brave, hopeful, encouraging, uplifting. The poet faced foes attacking, an army besieging, war breaking out, oppressors and accusers spreading false news, malicious lies, and hatred.
In this dangerous situation, the poet expresses deep trust in God. God is his light and salvation, God will hide him from his enemies, God will keep him safe and bring him goodness.
Let’s pray some of the best known phrases from the psalm.
Lord, we walk in the dark, in a world filled with strongholds of evil. We pray with the poet,
You are my light and my salvation,
Whom shall I fear?
You are the strength of my life,
Of whom shall I be afraid? (v. 1).
As America and Iran rattle sabres, as the Taliban destabilizes Afghanistan, as the bloody war grinds on in Yemen, as Syria lies in ruins; we place our confidence in you. Our hope is not in America policing the world, nor in the United Nations brokering peace, nor in Europe showing a civilized way forward, nor in China and Russia implementing their version of legitimate and stable rule. Our confidence is in you, Lord, that you will protect us in the midst of conflict, that you will light our way through a conflicted world.
Psalm 27 resonates with our world today:
Though an army besiege me,
My heart will not fear.
Though war break out against me,
Even then will I be confident (v. 3)
In the day of trouble
You will keep me safe in your dwelling;
You will hide me in the shelter of your tent
And set me high upon a rock (v. 5).
O Lord, we live distracted lives, we hear real news and fake news from all corners of the earth, we face pressures at work, we deal with endlessly people problems, we receive conflicting advice from a thousand voices. Even our own feelings and doubts assault us.
With the poet we pray,
One thing I ask of the Lord,
This only do I seek:
That I may dwell in the house of the Lord
All the days of my life,
to gaze on your beauty,
And to seek you in your temple.
We turn our eyes from the turmoil of the world to the beauty of your temple, from places of evil to the house where you dwell.
My heart says of you, “Seek his face!”
Your face, Lord I will seek.
Do not reject me or forsake me
God my Saviour.
Though my father and mother forsake me,
You will receive me (vv. 9-10).
Show us your face, Lord. The Bible is empty words until you speak through them. Our songs are noisy distractions until you reveal yourself. Our sermons are irritating lectures until we hear your voice. Our prayers are vain repetitions until we feel your heart
Lord, our life is a labyrinth, our relationships a puzzle of difficulties, our motives a well of uncertainty. Show us the straight and simple way.
Teach me your way, O Lord;
lead me in a straight path
because of my oppressors.
Do not hand me over to the desire of my foes. (vv. 11 – 12)
Lord, we set aside our consternation, our anxious activity, our endless fretting, and constant distractions. We, pray with the poet:
I remain confident of this:
I will see the goodness of the Lord
in the land of the living.
Wait for the Lord;
be strong and take heart
and wait for the Lord. (vv. 13-14).
Yes, Lord, we wait.
Amen
I’m Daniel on the channel “Pray with Me”.
Pray with Me 