Today's Meditation

Read Psalm 27

¹The 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?

²When evildoers assail me to devour my flesh— my adversaries and foes— they shall stumble and fall.

³Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war rise up against me, yet I will be confident.

⁴One thing I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple.

⁵For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble; he will conceal me under the cover of his tent; he will set me high on a rock.

⁶Now my head is lifted up above my enemies all around me, and I will offer in his tent sacrifices with shouts of joy; I will sing and make melody to the Lord.

⁷Hear, O Lord, when I cry aloud, be gracious to me and answer me!

⁸“Come,” my heart says, “seek his face!” Your face, Lord, do I seek.

⁹Do not hide your face from me. Do not turn your servant away in anger, you who have been my help. Do not cast me off, do not forsake me, O God of my salvation!

¹⁰If my father and mother forsake me, the Lord will take me up.

¹¹Teach me your way, O Lord, and lead me on a level path because of my enemies.

¹²Do not give me up to the will of my adversaries, for false witnesses have risen against me, and they are breathing out violence.

¹³I believe that I shall see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.

¹⁴Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!

    If you've never read the full story of King David, you should really go to 1st and 2nd Samuel and read about his whole life from his lineage and youth as a shepherd to his ultimate anointing as King of Israel and all that happened to him in between.  He is a fascinating character - full of blessings directly from God, but a flawed man, nonetheless.  I don't think there is anyone who encompasses the idea of saint and sinner alike in all of scripture.

    This psalm may have been written concerning the time that David spent in hiding from King Saul who sought to kill him.  David was King Saul's apprentice, confidant, and comforter.  Saul had a son named Jonathan and the two of them had become best friends.  Knowing that God had lost confidence in Saul, had anointed David as the new king and not his own son, Saul tried to kill David several times.  David fled and hid out in the hills.  Many of the lines of this psalm seem to fit this exact scenario.

     When have you felt that you needed to hide from everyone?  

    When have you felt the world was against you?  Or even felt that God was against you?

    Regardless of what problems you face, God is still there, God is still listening, God is still protecting you.  Lift up your eyes, "wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage..."

May we also, as a community of fellow travelers, reach out and protect you, just as Jonathan did for David.

Listen carefully to the words from today's YouTube music video.  I hope in times of feeling low and alone, these words echo in your heart.

You Will Be Found