This week, we are excited to introduce the first ever “Psalm of the Month.” The Faith Driven ConsumerÔ blog will now feature one chapter in Psalms (or, one psalm) each month for us to consider together and ask how we might be encouraged, challenged or enriched through our study of it. We hope you will join us once a month as we explore the incredible Book of Psalms and grow in our faith together.
The first Psalm we have selected is Psalm 27. This Psalm was written by King David who experienced many triumphs and many tribulations. Ultimately, it was David’s faith in God that allowed him to persevere through numerous frightening and dangerous trials. Let’s read together the words of David…
“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?
2 When evildoers assail me
to eat up my flesh,
my adversaries and foes,
it is they who stumble and fall.
3 Though an army encamp against me,
my heart shall not fear;
though war arise against me,
yet I will be confident.
4 One thing have I asked of the Lord,
that will I seek after:
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord
all the days of my life,
to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord
and to inquire in his temple.
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 lift me high upon a rock.
6 And now my head shall be 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.
7 Hear, O Lord, when I cry aloud;
be gracious to me and answer me!
8 You have said, “Seek my face.”
My heart says to you,
“Your face, Lord, do I seek.”
9 Hide not your face from me.
Turn not your servant away in anger,
O you who have been my help.
Cast me not off; forsake me not,
O God of my salvation!
10 For my father and my mother have forsaken me,
but the Lord will take me in.
11 Teach me your way, O Lord,
and lead me on a level path
because of my enemies.
12 Give me not up to the will of my adversaries;
for false witnesses have risen against me,
and they breathe out violence.
13 I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the Lord
in the land of the living!
14 Wait for the Lord;
be strong, and let your heart take courage;
wait for the Lord!”
Many of us can resonate with words of King David in this psalm. There is no shortage of difficulty that this world throws at us, and we don’t have to look long or far to find the enemy prowling all around us. There are snares and traps all along our path as we consistently find ourselves in perilous circumstances, powerless to conquer or avoid them. But as followers of Christ, we can sing this psalm of David or take these words to heart as we remember that God is our stronghold and our defender. We can take courage because God is our shelter. Even if every evildoer comes against us or means us harm, or if every friend or family member forsakes us, God will never leave us or forsake us.
God demonstrated His trustworthiness, but also His power over sin, death and the evil one, when He defeated death on the cross and conquered the grave. And this same God who triumphed over all has promised us that He will see us through to the end if we only trust in Him and rely on His saving sacrifice on the cross. May we, together with King David, praise God as the stronghold of our lives. May we also have the faith and steadfastness to say to ourselves and to the world, “Whom shall I fear?”
