Welcome back to Bible Study Wednesday! We are doing our first Bible study this month. God pressed upon my heart to study the book of Psalms this year. Each Wednesday we take a closer look at a new chapter. Today we are going to chapter 27. If you have not done so, please take the time to read through these 14 verses. I will be sharing some thoughts about today's passage and break down this chapter below. Please pray and ask Holy Spirit to open your spiritual eyes and ears to receive everything He has to teach you in today's passage. Let's begin!
Verse 1
David's psalm begins with a question he asks in two ways. Whom shall I fear, or whom shall I be afraid of? Those questions are in direct comparison to the characteristics of God.
*God is my light.
*God is my salvation.
*God is my life's strength.
Since God is light, salvation, and strength, there is nothing to fear. David cannot fear darkness when he is walking in the Light. David is never lost when he knows his Salvation is in God alone. David does not fear powerful people, because God has all Power, all Strength and He will never fail or lose.
Verses 2-3
David recalls times past when enemies came at him to kill him, but God caused them to stumble and fall. ISAIAH 54:17 No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of Me, saith the LORD. David had this promise. We have it, too.
David said even when a multitude of people surround him to harm him, he will not be afraid. He said he will keep his confidence even if war breaks out against him! HEBREWS 10:35 Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward. We can stand firm on the solid rock of Jesus regardless of how many bad things happen to us or come against us. ROMANS 8:31 What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? That verse alone is one we can stand on and proclaim with confidence knowing God will prevail over all our enemies.
Verse 4
What was David's greatest desire? What was his heart's longing? What is the biggest thing He asked of God? It is in this verse. David didn't just ask God for this, but he sought for it. He longed to dwell in the house of God for the rest of his life. To see God's beauty and to ask for His help. David didn't have God on an emergency hotline, only to be called on when he wanted something. No, God called David a man after His own heart. He loved David and David loved God. They had a relationship. David delighted in God. This is why ten chapters later we see David pen these words, "Delight thyself also in the LORD; and He shall give thee the desires of thine heart." (PSALM 37:4) What are we delighting in?
Verse5
David had nothing to fear. God will hide him in His pavilion, in the secret place of His tabernacle, and set David upon a rock. He had sure footing. He had protection. He had provision. There was nothing that David would face that God couldn't and wouldn't handle! We can have that same confidence.
Verse 6
David said now he can hold his head up high, give joyful sacrifices to God, and sing praise to the LORD. Why? Because everything David needs is found in relationship with God. Everything you and I face in this life is found in the promises of God's Word. All our hope, strength, protection, provision, and blessings are found in God alone. We have nothing to fear or dread and when we get to the point of recognizing that, we will be no match for satan because then we will walk in confidence of who our Father is and what He is doing in our lives. We will be undefeated because Jesus has already overcome the world. These things I have spoken unto you, that in Me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.
Verses 7-8
David says to God, "Hear me when I cry. Have mercy upon me and answer me." Then he says, "When You said to seek Your face God, I did so." Have we been seeking God's face or His hands? Are we more interested in what God can do for us, or are we more concerned about doing something for Him? What does our prayer life look like? Are we using our prayer time to only petition the LORD and never praise or thank Him? What is our heart posture like? Are we like David and we want to seek the face of God? We want to know Him intimately. We want to be in fellowship and communion with God?
Verses 9-10
David understands what it means to be left out and forgotten. He begs God to not hide His face from him. He asks God to not put him away in God's great wrath. Why? Why would David say that? Because God has been His help. He says leave me not, neither forsake me. He needs God. God has always been there for David. When David called, God answered. David could not even get that kind of response from his father and brothers.
When Saul was rejected by God as king over Israel, God sent Samuel to anoint a new king. 1 SAMUEL 16:1 And the LORD said unto Samuel, How long wilt thou mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? fill thine horn with oil, and go, and I will send thee to Jesse the Bethlehemite: for I have provided for me a king among his sons. Samuel tells Jesse to bring all of his sons. Jesse lines up all his children except for David. One by one God rejects each son to be king. Samuel knows what God told him. Something is wrong when none of the sons are the new king. 1 SAMUEL 16:11 And Samuel said unto Jesse, Are here all thy children? And he said, There remaineth yet the youngest, and, behold, he keepeth the sheep. And Samuel said unto Jesse, Send and fetch him: for we will not sit down till he come hither. His father was ashamed of David because he was a keeper of the sheep. His dad counted him out because he was the youngest and was ruddy. He was forgotten and forsaken by his own father at one of the most crucial times in his life. 1 SAMUEL 16:12 And he sent, and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, and withal of a beautiful countenance, and goodly to look to. And the LORD said, Arise, anoint him: for this is he. Now we can see why David would say when his own father and mother abandoned him, God will choose him. God picked David. God said, "David you are Mine!" at a time when he was being hidden and counted out by his own father. Others will fail us and let us down. Some will be ashamed of us and not want to include us, but God will never forsake us. He will never leave us. He will never abandon us!
Verses 11-12
David is praying that God will show and teach him the way to go. He wants a smooth path when his enemies are against him. Do you know how hard it is to navigate rocky, uneven paths? It slows you down. If you have someone chasing you to kill you, you want the advantage of a smooth path where you can get away faster. David knew he must be taught these things because doing life on our own is a dangerous, foolish adventure that ends in failure. David asks God to protect him from the liars and cruel enemies rushing toward him to harm him. God will give us the protection we need, too.
Verse 13
This is a verse I have outlined in my Bible. It is one of the verses I quote often in 2022 when I look around and see violence, turmoil, division, confusion, chaos, and frustration everywhere I turn. It is on the news, social media, reels, videos, tweets, texts, posts, you name it! Everyone has the freedom online to say and do whatever they please and they take their liberties. It is a wicked, vile world we live in and it is just becoming more wicked and vile as the days go by. I, too, like David would have given up if I had not seen God's goodness all around me. I may see the enemy at work everywhere I turn, but I also see the Mighty hand of God providing, protecting, and uplifting His people. He is our shield, our strength, and our help!
Verse 14
This verse is also underlined in my Bible. This verse is David speaking from experience. He is giving you and me advice. He is telling us what has worked for him over and over again. He is giving us the blueprint to be successful in this journey where it can be discouraging and even depressing to keep going. I want to repeat it here today. This is David's instruction to us; let it bless you."Wait on the LORD; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD."
*Wait on God.
*Be of good courage.
*Wait on God.
And the promise? He will strengthen us.
We are not promised He will remove the problem. We are not promised a bed of roses. We are not told we will never have another issue. We are not promised that our loved ones would never die, or our bills would never pile up, or that we would be the most popular person on the planet. We are told God will strengthen our heart.
Why did David say this? Because when our heart is strong, we can keep running. When we get our strength back we can fight. When we have strength we do not have to worry which leads to sickness and disease and sometimes death. God is giving us His power to strengthen us when times are hard. If we feel like we have slowed to a snail's pace, we need to wait on God, be of good courage, and wait! He will get us through!
I hope something in today's study has spoken to you. Feel free to leave a comment below or reach out to me via email, on social media, or text me if you have my phone number. I pray that something I have shared on the blog today has given you strength for your journey and light for you way. God bless you!
~Bridgett Owens
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