By Martin Morrison
A colleague in the ministry received a phone call no parent ever wants to receive. His teenage daughter was being rushed to ICU. Walking down the street, a drunk driver lost control of his car, crashed into the pavement and crushed her against the wall. She survived but not without years of anguish and treatment.
At times we all struggle with fears and anxieties. What if I lose my job? What if that lump is really cancer? What if my kids go off the rails? (We are all totally vulnerable when it comes to our children!). Some of you live with constant fear of abusive husbands or HIV/AIDS or being retrenched. Question. How do you deal with fear and anxiety? For some it is escape or denial. And for both alcohol or over the counter-the-counter drugs are real options.
Psalm 27 is one of the great Psalms of the Bible. King David, the Psalmist lives in your city, lives in your street, lives in your home. It is a story of fear and hope, hurt and help, desperation and safety. It is a real life Psalm. It is much more like a documentary than a Hollywood movie. Like real life, it is written between the tension of a life of trouble and a God of security. Like real life, there are friends and enemies. Like real life, there is stress and safety. In this devotion we will look at Psalm 27:1 – 3,5 – 6. In the next we will look at Psalm 27:4. Lastly we will look at Psalm 27: 7 – 14.
Just by the way, there are two important things that we need to take note of in the Psalms. The first is that they not only contain much truth and doctrine, they are wonderful models of prayer for us to use for ourselves. Often there are times when we don’t know how to pray. The Psalms are models and prototypes for genuine Christian prayer. Pray the Psalms.
Secondly, here in Psalm 27 as in all the other Psalms, we see enormous honesty. Which is precisely what true prayer is. It is speaking to our heavenly Father and being completely honest. True prayer is not saying prayers. It is not about grammar or technique. It is opening your heart and telling God exactly where you are and how you feel.
TROUBLE AND TURMOIL
Now let’s get into the Psalm itself. The author of the Psalm is King David. We are not given any context or background to the Psalm, though it would seem that he wrote it whilst King of Israel. David was chosen by God to be King over Israel. David was God’s anointed, a man after God’s heart . And yet it seems that his life is filled with trouble and turmoil. In Psalm 27:2 there are evil men who advance against him to devour him, his enemies and foes are attacking him. In Psalm 27:3 an army has besieged him and there’s war and conflict.
When we read the history of David in 1 and 2 Samuel, we find many occasions when David is being attacked, besieged or at war. He seems to regularly face trouble and enemies, Psalm 27: 5,6.
Psalm 27 reminds us vividly of a problem we all face. It’s a problem people face when they get married. It’s a problem at the workplace. It’s a problem in all friendships. It’s a problem at church. It’s a problem when you emigrate. It’s a problem when you change jobs. What is this problem. It’s the problem of unrealistic expectations. We have unrealistic expectations about marriage, family, friendship, church, emigration. The reason for our unrealistic expectations is that we don’t take the Bible seriously when it teaches us that sin has permeated every square millimetre of planet earth. There is no escaping it. Psalm 27 tells us that we are living in an abnormal world, where disease and death exist; where deceit and disappointment exist; where rebellion, suffering, loss, violence, war, lust and greed are very much at home.
What that means is that trouble and turmoil will always be part of our lives. No relationship will ever be free from disappointment. No institution will ever be free from brokenness. No moment of our lives will untouched by the effects of the fall.
If you do not understand this critical principal, you will never understand the world; never understand other people; never understand yourself; never understand the Gospel.
SAFETY AND SECURITY
There are many security systems that we try to build into our lives. It may be financial investments, or perhaps your property portfolio, or your overseas investments. Yet we all know that there is no ultimate security. If COVID 19 has taught us nothing else, it has taught us that we are not in control. How many people have gone to bed rich and woken up poor, because the stock exchange on the other side of the world has crashed overnight.
Or your security may be your relationships. You have worked hard at your friendships, you do everything to keep your relationships healthy. And yet we all know that you can’t depend on the permanence of other people in your life. Someone relocates unexpectedly. A phone call tells you of a fatal accident. Sin can destroy relationships.
Or you may find security in yourself. You are a self made man or woman. You trust your expertise, your intuition, your judgement. And yet you know one big mistake can make it all come tumbling down. You know that COVID or an illness, can strike and bring all your efforts to nothing. Be absolutely sure of this. Your day of trouble will come, as night follows day. Perhaps it has already come and you are in the midst of it.
Though God doesn’t take away the struggles of living in this world, though he doesn’t give us all the answers, at the end of the day, he gives us himself. “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”. Psalm 27:1. Our only ultimate security is found in God himself. God is what will keep us safe. Not things. Not money. Not people. Not status.
Let me close with this lovely poem, called “I am not afraid”.
I am not afraid, but it is not because I am strong or wise.
I am not afraid, but it is not because I have power or position.
I am not afraid but it is not because I have health or wealth.
I am not afraid, but it is not because my circumstances or relationships are easy.I am not afraid for one glorious reason.
I have been lit by the Lord of Light.
In the darkness of this world, I no longer walk in the night,
but I have been given the Light of life
I am not afraid because Light lives in me.
This one amazing reality gives me rest.
I have been rescued from darkness and transported into the Light.
I am not afraid.
“The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear” Psalm 27:1
“And Jesus spoke to them saying, “I am the Light of the world” John 8:12