As we continue through Psalm 27, when David gets to be in God’s house, what does he do? He sacrifices, sings, and makes music.
And now my head will be lifted up above my enemies around me,
And I will offer sacrifices in His tent with shouts of joy;
I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the LORD.
Psalms 27:6 NASB2020
We can do the same, although these activities may look a little different from one of us to the next. Our sacrifice might be out of our money or our time, rather than from our flocks or herds. Our songs are in English rather than in Hebrew. Our musical talent might be limited to just clapping, rather than playing an instrument. Still, when we are in God’s presence, these outward examples of worship aren’t just something that we “do” because we have to. Instead, they should be the natural outpouring of joy from being in the presence of God Almighty.
Just because David has faith in God’s character and seeks God’s presence, though, doesn’t mean that David can’t ask God about the burdens of his (David’s) heart. In verses 7-12, David – with both confidence and humility, I suspect – makes a number of requests to God:
- That God would hear him.
- That God would be merciful (or gracious).
- That God would answer David’s prayer.
- That God would not abandon or turn away from David (or turn David away).
- That God would teach David and help keep him on the right path.
- That God would not let David’s enemies (or those who falsely accuse David) overcome him.
While I usually have plenty to ask God for on my prayer list, this psalm is a great start for someone who’s not sure how to start talking to God. We can ask that God would hear and answer our prayers, remain with us, help us do the right thing, and rescue us from potential harm. (The Lookout suggests Mark 11:24 and James 1:6 as reminders that we can – and should – pray confidently.)
Furthermore, it’s exciting to me that the Holy Spirit helps us even when we don’t know what to pray for. (see Romans 8:26-27). For those who have given their lives over to Jesus Christ, when we’re stuck (in our own abilities) to know what to say to God or how to say it, He (the Holy Spirit) steps in, translating and filling in the blanks for us.
As Psalm 27 continues, I really like David’s confidence in verses 13-14. He knows that God will be faithful, and David believes strongly that he will get to see God’s goodness.
For the Christian, I believe that we should have the same confidence. Sure, we know that God will triumph in the end, and that He will keep His promises to us in eternity. Do we have that same confidence in this life, though? Do we know for certain that we will see God’s goodness in this life, and not just in the next one?
It sounds like David is almost talking to himself at the end of this psalm (although he might be encouraging others), with a reminder that those who seek God must not only hold fast and be confident, but they must sometimes wait on God’s timing.
I think that there’s a subtle but important difference between waiting on something that we’re not sure will happen (like anticipating the outcome of an athletic competition or checking for a test grade), and waiting for something that we know for certain is going to happen. For instance, I might want my annual review to go well, but there can be surprises. However, in the dead of winter, I look forward to warmer weather that I know will come in the spring and summer (if Jesus doesn’t return first, which would be even better).
In this psalm, it sounds like David is waiting for God’s goodness with the latter kind of confidence, knowing that it will come and that David will see it. I hope that you have the same confidence in both God’s power (his ability to do good) and God’s love (his desire and willingness to do what is best for us).
In conclusion, sometimes when someone says that they “hope” something happens, they aren’t really sure whether or not it will. That is not the kind of hope that God’s adopted children have. We can be certain that He will keep His promises, both in this life and in eternity, because we are certain of who He is.
May you have that hope today. Don’t just seek the presence of the Lord. Sacrifice, praise, testify, and live in the confidence of His promises when you get there.
From Sunday School lesson prepared for November 20, 2022
References:
- The Lookout, November 20, 2022, © 2022 Christian Standard Media.
- Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
- Scripture quotations taken from the NASB. Copyright by The Lockman Foundation.
- The College Press NIV Commentary, Psalms, Volume 1, S. Edward Tesh and Walter D. Zorn, © 1999, College Press Publishing Co., Joplin, MO.
Those Who Sin Differently 