I have always found poetry to be hard to read and understand. Hence, Psalms feels like such a challenge. But recently, I was listening to my Pastor teach on the end of the age (Matthew 24:3), and he was pointing out that the Bible speaks about us experiencing persecution because we follow Jesus (John 15:19-25). And most times, we cannot say we know what that is even though many Christians worldwide are being harmed and killed for Jesus’ sake every day. Then my mind went to Psalms, and I realised that if I were experiencing this kind of persecution for what I believe, then many Psalms would be much more relevant to me. In Psalms, David speaks about his enemy, hating him and asking God for deliverance, but Jesus has taught us to love our enemies, and so I find this line of thought hard to understand. But when put in a position where I may be killed for declaring the truth of who God is, then these Psalm can be my prayer. So, I want to change my heart to embracing Psalms in preparation for that day that I may need it. This line of thought helped me think of Psalms in a different and more relevant light.

Today, I want to focus on Psalm 27, where the Psalmist declares that God is his strength and life even in his weak times.

Psalm 27 reminds us that:

• If God is our strength,
  • then we have no fear
  • Our enemies shall stumble and fall
  • And I will have confidence in God.
• The Psalmist has a clear desire to seek after God and be His
• He is confident that God is there in his time of trouble
• He praises God and seeks after his mercy
• He has confidence that the Lord will not forsake him, and yet still, he asks of the Lord.
• He asks that God teaches him and leads his path
• And he tells us to wait on the Lord, for he shall strengthen our hearts.

Psalm 27

27 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? ² When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell. ³ Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident. ⁴ One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to enquire in his temple. ⁵ For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock. ⁶ And now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me: therefore will I offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy; I will sing, yea, I will sing praises unto the Lord. ⁷ Hear, O Lord, when I cry with my voice: have mercy also upon me, and answer me. ⁸ When thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face, Lord, will I seek. ⁹ Hide not thy face far from me; put not thy servant away in anger: thou hast been my help; leave me not, neither forsake me, O God of my salvation. ¹⁰ When my father and my mother forsake me, then the Lord will take me up. ¹¹ Teach me thy way, O Lord, and lead me in a plain path, because of mine enemies. ¹² Deliver me not over unto the will of mine enemies: for false witnesses are risen up against me, and such as breathe out cruelty. ¹³ I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. ¹⁴ Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord.

The Psalmist shows us how to position our hearts in knowing that God is our strength, and even in that confidence, we continuously praise Him for it and never stop asking him for his mercies and guidance. This may be important not so much that we need to continuously remind God of what we need but to remind ourselves that God is here for us and is faithful in times of joy and trouble.