One Thing

PSALM 27:1-4
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 evildoers assail me to eat up my flesh, my adversaries and foes, it is they who stumble and fall.

Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear though war arise against me, yet I will be confident.

One thing I have asked of the LORD, that I will 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.

Trials have the unique capability to force us to put things into their proper place. Suddenly things that seemed so important fade to the background, and they grow dim compared to the seemingly overwhelming weight of the trial.

Suddenly, you no longer are so concerned about your favorite team’s pitching rotation, or your favorite player's injury status. Suddenly and simultaneously, though, the weight of the trail now begins to press into your every thought, your every prayer, your every waking moment.

I’ve been there. I am there now, and I know many of you are too.

Suddenly you’re face to face with what you really believe about God. Is He faithful? Is He good? Does He care? Is He sovereign over everything - good and evil? Suddenly your theology matters.

Suddenly all those Sunday school classes you attended, all those sermons you heard, all those books you read begin to either inform the trial (i.e. How shall we think about this trial as it relates to what we know about God’s nature and character), or all those books and sermons begin to torment you in the trial because it becomes so hard to reconcile in our finite minds how a good, merciful, gracious God uses tragedy, hardship and suffering for our good and for His glory.

Lately, I have had to fight to take what I know to be true and sink it deep into the recesses of my heart because, like you, I am tempted to doubt, tempted to be afraid, tempted to worry. I have personally had to fight to believe. Fight to fix my eyes on truth. Fight to not be afraid. Fight to not worry. Fight to not lose hope.

As I fight, God has been gracious to meet me in my time of need to receive mercy and find grace. [Hebrews 4:16] He has met me in his Word. He has met me in prayer. He has meet me through God’s people. Most of all, He has met me in worship.

Through this trial God has used Psalm 27 to comfort me and lead me to worship. I have found great peace in meditating and reflecting upon these first four verses in particular. I hope you will too.

David asserts two things in this first verse. God is personal and God is knowable. “The LORD is my light...my salvation...the stronghold of my life”. God is not distant and unknowable. He is a God who makes known his nature and character. He is a God who speaks. He is a God who hears. He is a God who listens. And there is no greater testimony to that revelation than through the Son of God, Christ Jesus our Lord. [Hebrews 1:1-3]

Through faith in Christ, God knows me. Through faith Christ, I know God. Through faith in Christ, I am certain that no matter what happens around me, He will never leave me, nor forsake me. [Deuteronomy 31:6]

I find comfort here because I am reminded that no matter what stands in my way, no matter what trials I face, God is still my God. Nothing has changed. He was my God yesterday. He is my God today. He will be my God forever, and nothing can separate me from Him. [Romans 8:39]

Nothing has changed. God still remains a refuge, a rock, a stronghold, a shelter. He still remains our deliverer, our fortress, our shield. This trial has forced me into my God. This trial has forced me to recall and remember who He is and to not lose hope.

Let this trial force you into the Lord. Though the earth give way and the mountains be moved God still remains a very present help in time of trouble. [Psalm 46:2] He is the same yesterday, today and forever. [Hebrews 13:8]

This is your God. This is our God. Be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord! [Psalm 27:14]

Perhaps the greatest hope and comfort I found in this Psalm was from David’s one request. In the face of adversity, he longs for one thing. Just one thing. To be in the sanctuary of God so that he might worship God.

He longs to be in the place where God’s praises are sung. He longs to be in the place where God’s word is read. He longs to be in the place where God’s people lift up prayer to their God. He longs to be in a place where he is reminded that he is beloved and accepted by God. He longs to be in perpetual worship with the people of God.

Scott Denny is one of our pastors here at Grace Bible Church