By: Dr. Dale Weckbacher
Text: Psalm
27-28
Psalm
27:1
The Lord is my light
and my salvation;
Whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the strength of my life;
Of whom shall I be afraid?
(NKJV)
To please God, we need to
have faith (Hebrews
11:6). For David, it was his faith in the Lord as his light, salvation, and
strength that helped him not fear his enemies. This faith in God led to
assurance in God hearing and answering his prayers. In times when we are
bombarded with news that can bring fear, we must have unwavering faith and belief
in God, who hears and answers our prayers. The psalms of this text encourage us
to have unwavering faith and confidence in God to answer our prayers to Him.
In Psalm
27, David offers an exuberant declaration of faith. It begins with a
declaration of the Lord as his light, salvation, and strength that dispels fear
(Psalm
27:1). David has seen his enemies fall and now has confidence that the Lord
will bring victory, even if an army comes against him (Psalm
27:2-3). David then makes a request of the Lord, that he be able to dwell
in the house of the Lord all the days of his life, his secret hiding place in
the time of trouble (Psalm
27:4-5). David can now hold his head high and offer sacrifices of joy in
the Lord’s tabernacle (Psalm
27:6).
David is then honest with
the Lord, expressing fear that the Lord may not hear him when he cries out to
him, for the Lord has told David to seek His face and that he has done (Psalm
27:7-8). David pleads with the Lord not to hide from him or forsake him,
declaring that even if his father and mother forsake him, he has confidence that
the Lord will not forsake him (Psalm
27:9-10). David then asks the Lord to teach him His ways and to lead him
down a smooth path because of his enemies (Psalm
27:11). David does not want to be delivered to the will of his adversaries
who breathe out violence against him letting the Lord know he would have lost
heart without knowing the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living (Psalm
27:12-13). David concludes by telling us to wait on the Lord and to be of
good courage, for the Lord will strengthen our hearts (Psalm
27:14).
In Psalm
28, David rejoices in answered prayer. David cries to the Lord his rock and
asks the Lord not to be silent to him fearing he may become like those going
down to the pit (Psalm
28:1). He pleads with the Lord to hear him when he cries out and lifts his
hands towards the Lord’s sanctuary (Psalm
28:2). David does not want to go the way of the wicked who work iniquity,
speaking peace while evil is in their hearts (Psalm
28:3). He asks the Lord to give them what they deserve according to their
wickedness because they do not regard the works of the Lord (Psalm
28:4-5). David blesses the Lord for hearing his supplications, for the Lord
is his strength and shield, for he trusts in the Lord with his song praising
the Lord (Psalm
28:6-7). David concludes by declaring the Lord as the strength and saving refuge
for his anointed, asking the Lord to save, bless, and shepherd his people (Psalm
28:8-9).
In these psalms, David
presents a vivid picture of his unwavering faith in God and rejoices in
answered prayers. His unwavering faith is based on the Lord as his light,
salvation, and strength that gets rid of fear in his life (Psalm
27:1). From this foundation of faith, David has no fear of his enemies.
Fear in one’s life is not from God (2
Timothy 1:7), with the fear of man, or what others think or say about us, a
trap (Proverbs
29:25). Faith in God is the antithesis of fear and why David had confidence
when facing insurmountable odds, like taking five rocks and a sling shot with
him to battle Goliath. In fact, without faith we cannot please God (Hebrews
11:6). This faith led to the expectation that God would hear and answer his
prayers.
While Psalm
28 begins with David crying out to the Lord to not be silent (Psalm
28:1), it ends with David blessing the Lord for hearing him (Psalm
28:6). We can glean from this that David would have doubts God heard him
because his prayers were not immediately answered, with him understanding God
heard him when his prayer was answered. While we wish God would immediately
answer every prayer we offer, waiting on the Lord renews our strength (Isaiah
40:31). Our earnest prayers, offered to God, will be answered, but in God’s
timing.
Like David, we live in a
wicked world and need unwavering faith in the Lord who hears and answers our
prayers. In the digital age in which we live, we are constantly bombarded with
news and opinions. These can cause fear that can cause our faith in God to
waver. In fact, Scripture warns us that in the last days, the faith of many
will grow cold with fear of what is coming (Luke
21:25-26). May the Church learn from Psalm
27 and Psalm
28 and have unwavering faith in God and the assurance that God hears and
answers our prayers. Let us be people of prayer because our prayers are
powerful and effective (James
5:16).
For anyone reading this
who has not prayed to accept God’s free gift of salvation (Ephesians
2:8-9, Romans 10:9-10), I invite you to do so now by praying with me.
Dear Lord Jesus, I know I have sinned (Romans
3:23)
and know that the penalty for my sin is death (Romans
6:23). I ask you to forgive me of my sin and cleanse
me as you promise in your Word (1
John 1:9). I believe
you died, spent three days in the grave, and resurrected from the dead and now
declare you Lord of my life.
‘
I encourage you to find a
church that teaches the truth of God’s Word from the Bible, so that God’s Word
can transform your life by renewing your mind. May God convict, challenge, and
empower everyone reading this post.
