Confidently Waiting on God

Psalm 27

Jim Davis

The writer of Psalm 27 ends the psalm with these words:

Wait for the Lord;
    be strong and take heart
    and wait for the Lord.

My heart says of you, “Seek his face!”
    Your face, Lord, I will seek.

Throughout the psalm the writer seeks God’s help as he fears the onslaught of his enemies. First, he must face the enemies within: doubt, fear, hopelessness and discouragement. He closes the psalm as his heart compels him to take heart, to seek the Lord and above all be patient. 

Waiting on God in difficult times is probably the most difficult part of seeking God. The voices of the enemies within discourage our waiting on the Lord. In fact, waiting on anything in our day of instant gratification is not our strongest attribute. We measure a computer speed in mili-seconds. We want overnight weight loss, overnight success and same day shipping and arrival. We want instant cooked meals, instant loans and instant wealth. We are in such a hurry to reach our destination that an hour lay over at the airport ruins our trip. We are in such a hurry to live and enjoy life that we get old before we know it. 

Our impatience doesn’t serve us well when we are dealing with life’s difficulties. We want ready made solutions and instant success. However, tough problems may require a life long battle with ourselves. 

The author of Psalm 27 seeks to build his endurance and patience as he struggles to refocus his life on God in the midst of his battles.

Psalm 27:1-14
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?
When the wicked advance against me
    to devour me,
it is my enemies and my foes
    who will stumble and fall.
Though an army besiege me,
    my heart will not fear;
though war break out against me,
    even then I will be confident. 

These words are not penned after he has a solution to all his problems. They are written to bolster his patience as he seeks solutions. They are written as he seeks to make sense of everything happening to him. 

First, He Bolsters His Confidence in God

“The Lord is the stronghold of my life.” God has a stronghold on our lives in the midst of every storm. We can rest assured his plans will succeed. Yet, it is not easy to rest while your world is collapsing around you.

First the psalmist seeks to bolster his confidence in God. He takes control of his thoughts as he reminds himself that God is his stronghold to overcome his fears. 

As the psalmist is drowning in his troubles and thoughts, it is as if he pushes himself to the surface of sanity long enough to collect his thoughts. There is a nagging deep within his heart that drives him to seek the face of the Lord. He takes control of his thoughts and determines to take heart and wait upon the Lord.

“The Lord is my light and my salvation whom shall I fear.” The light of God’s presence gives him hope. He musters up the mental strength to say, “Whom shall I fear.” The Psalmist seeks to abandon all the negative thoughts as he focuses on God’s hold on his life. 
 
Often, clinging to hope is all we have when all seems impossible. When Paul was on a sinking ship he encouraged those on board to place their confidence in God. God had appeared to him in a dream reassuring him that no lives would be lost. The dream revealed the ship and cargo would be lost, but no lives would be lost. He speaks to those on board saying. “So keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God that it will happen just as he told me.” (Acts 28:25) 

The Scripture reiterates over and over God’s hold on our lives. 

John 28:27-30
“My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.”

God will not allow our enemies or our circumstances to snatch us from his protection. God will not abandon us. The story of Daniel is an encouraging story. He was taken into Babylonian captivity as a very young man. He came to be one of the wise men of Babylon from whom the king sought advice. 

King Nebuchadnezzar had a troubling dream. It was so troubling he wanted the wise men to interpret the meaning of the dream. He had become distrustful of the wise men, so he refused to reveal the dream to them. He required them to tell him his dream and then interpret it. If they could not do so he would kill all the wise men. 

Daniel and his friends were terrified. They prayed all night until God revealed the dream to Daniel. God revealed the dream and the interpretation to Daniel. God’s revelation resulted in Daniel becoming one of the most respected wise men in Babylon. However, it didn’t keep him from being betrayed and thrown into a lion’s den when he was about 65 years old. Yet, God kept the lions’ mouths closed. Daniel’s enemies were thrown into the lion’s den as he was released. 

Daniel’s life is a powerful story. Daniel lives through the Babylonian captivity for at least 50 years. He was counselor to the most wicked kings of the ancient world. The Babylonian kings, Nebuchadnezzar and Belshazzar. When Babylon was defeated by the Meeds, Daniel became counselor to Darius king of the Medes due to God’s hold on his life. How he survived among these kings as their counselor without losing his head is astounding. The interpretations of their dreams and visions, often revealing their down fall, seemed to be enough to accomplished it. It would seem that Daniel went too far as he defied the gods the kings worshipped as he refused to bow to them. Yet, God had a stronghold on Daniel in every dilemma.

The psalmist writes, though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then I will be confident. Throughout the New Testament we find Christians taking heart in similar fashion. 

2 Corinthians 4:8-9 
We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.

Romans 8:28 
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. 

Romans 8:31
What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?

Romans 8:37-39
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

All our hopes for God’s hold on our lives are bolstered as we contemplate God’s hold on those who have gone before us. As Paul wrote these verses, no doubt he is reflecting on God’s past dealings with his people.

The Covid pandemic has created death defying circumstances around the globe. We wonder, when will it end. Political forces create unfavorable outcomes for all of us. There may be persons in your life who have created undesirable circumstances for your life. You may have made decisions that make circumstances in your life all but unbearable. But God does not loose his grip on your life. This is our ultimate basis of hope. 

You may be living in communities engulfed in violence and bloodshed as was Daniel. You may be living among the most ungodly. God is still there for you. When it seems impossible to rise above it all, we need to remember these verses.

Jeremiah 3:25-2625 
The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him,
    to the one who seeks him;
it is good to wait quietly
    for the salvation of the Lord.

Second, He Focuses On His Ultimate Goal

Reminding ourselves of God’s hold on our lives makes it much easier to concentrate on seeking the Lord in each battle we face to rise above it all. The psalmist writes:

One thing I ask from 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 the beauty of the Lord
    and to seek him in his temple.
For in the day of trouble
    he will keep me safe in his dwelling;
he will hide me in the shelter of his sacred tent
    and set me high upon a rock.
Then my head will be exalted
    above the enemies who surround me;
at his sacred tent I will sacrifice with shouts of joy;
    I will sing and make music to the Lord.

Concentrating on seeking God realigns our thoughts like nothing else. Seeking to live in God’s presence refocuses our lives. It fills us with something meaningful to fill the emptiness of feeling all alone in a sea of troubles. Much of our impatience today is the result of trying to fill the emptiness with alternatives other than God. The psalmist seeks to live in the house of the lord, i.e., in God’s presence throughout his days on earth.  

God’s presence is a place of safety as we seek to realign our thoughts. It is a place to regain our self-respect as we refocus on how valuable we are to God. It is place where our dire circumstances will be overcome. Resting in the presence of God is the place a person can overcome the horrible circumstances haunting us from our past mistakes as one rest in the protective presence of God. 

Resting in the presence of God is truly a place we can make the sacrifice of our lives to God with shouts of Joy. 

In God’s presence we can seek God’s instruction to walk a straight path as we seek to think sober thoughts. The psalmist cries out:

Teach me your way, Lord;
    lead me in a straight path
    because of my oppressors.

It is a place where God can direct our steps into a better place. 

The Writer Seeks a Straight Path

The writer seeks a straight path for his life as he comes to God to learn of his ways. 

Hear my voice when I call, Lord;
    be merciful to me and answer me.
My heart says of you, “Seek his face!”
    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 helper.
Do not reject me or forsake me,
    God my Savior.
Though my father and mother forsake me,
    the Lord will receive me.
Teach me your way, Lord;
    lead me in a straight path
    because of my oppressors.
Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes,
    for false witnesses rise up against me,
    spouting malicious accusations.
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. 

The psalmist appeals to God’s mercy as doubts run through his mind. He ask not to be forsaken or turned over to the desires of enemies or his self-created circumstance. It seems as though his circumstances are such that the world has turned against him. It seems as though his father and mother may have forsaken him. He relies on God hearing his cry as he seeks God’s mercy. 

Hear my voice when I call, Lord;
    be merciful to me and answer me.
My heart says of you, “Seek his face!”
    Your face, Lord, I will seek.

In those times when we may want to doubt God’s mercy we force ourselves to wait upon God. At times we may feel forsaken by God. You may even question God’s existence. In these times the psalmist forces himself to remember that God is his helper, God is his savior and God will teach him his ways. He reminds himself of the goodness of the Lord in spite of his circumstances. He will experience God’s goodness in the land of the living—in the here and now. 

It is encouraging to recall the real life stories of the Old Testament. In these stories we witness God’s salvation of individual lives. God’s story was happening in the lives of those people before it was ever written. The stories are about those found in impossible circumstances seeking to trust God for their safety. God may never appear to you in a dream or vision, but he has revealed himself through these stories. They are stories we can recall as we remind ourselves of God’s concern for our lives. 

The book of Hebrews is written to all those who are about to give up on God. The writer reminds us of all the faithful ones who have gone before us. We are reminded of the lives God held in his hand: Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Joseph, Moses, Joshua, Rehab the harlot, Gideon, Samson and David. They surround us as witnesses to God’s ongoing story in each of our lives. We have become the heirs of all Gods promises made to Abraham through Jesus Christ.

I have to say this apologetically, but the story of Samson and Delilah has to be a story about one of the dumbest men of all time. Samson is mentioned in the list of all the great, makes me apologetically wonder if I should call him dumb. He was a disappointment to his parents, neighbors and all of Israel. Yet, God never abandons him. Samson abandons himself seemingly in every decision he makes. He brings shame on himself and and all Israel, as he ends up imprisoned with his eyes gouged out, as his enemies sought to shame the God he worshipped. Yet, he is mentioned in the list of all the faithful because God never forsook him. I say this apologetically because it seems degrading to call such a man dumb since he is mentioned in the linage of all the great people. 

You, may wonder how Samson’s name got mentioned. It is to encourage even the dumbest of us that God does not forsake his people. God sees our lives from the end to the beginning. He has predetermined to be there in every circumstance. We make choices that shape our circumstances. I may make terrible choices but God is there to direct my steps to a better place no matter how messy it gets.

We may feel as though we deserve nothing from God. You really don’t, that is why we appeal to his mercy. Mercy intervenes whether we deserve it or not. God’s everlasting mercy is the foundation our lives rest upon as we seek him. Our relationship with God does not rest on how good we have been or how bad we have been. It rests solely on God’s mercy. Our decisions are important, but ultimately it is a merciful God who salvages our lives. The psalmist understands this as he ask for God’s mercy and waits confidently for God to salvage his life. 

Conclusion:

Psalms 27 reminds me of what James wrote:

James 1:2-8 
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. 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. 6 But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7 That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. 8 Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.