Psalm 27

The blessings of fellowship with God

Introduction

In the Psalms, every variety of experience is to be found. Hence their appeal to people down through the ages. People have realised that the Psalmists had faced all the realities of life, and their words and their faith have imparted fresh courage to face life once again and meet its demands with assurance.

Psalm 27 is another well-loved portion of the Old Testament because the feelings and experiences of the Psalmist find an echo and response in our hearts. The Psalmist writes from a position of maturity. Behind him is a long history of dealings with God. He can open with a very positive affirmation. Yet he is still not “out of the woods”. His enemies are hovering in the background, and he is tempted to give way to fear.

But he is not dismayed; he has been through it all before and has learnt from past experience. He knows God can be trusted in the dark places of life. He has seen Him at work before. So he can face each new threat with confidence. And whatever else may come in the future, every danger can be faced with calmness and hope.

Character which God displays

What sort of God do we have? How boldly the Psalmist steps out, like a man at the beginning of a walk on a beautiful spring morning. He has confidence in his steps and he strongly affirms his faith. The Lord is my light and my salvation…. The Lord is the stronghold of my life (Psalm 27:1). So he has nothing to be afraid of.

Here are some very fundamental statements about God and what He is to His people. “My light” – in the darkness of danger and anxiety, He illuminates my path. “My salvation” - and the emphasis here, in the context of danger, means safety. Saved in trouble, and saved from trouble. “The stronghold of my life” – my refuge, the fortress I can run to. Note that there is not a trace of dependence on himself or on any other human force. His reliance is on God alone. When he is in trouble, he at once fills his mind with God. God is everything to him. He has found out before, that when earthly props give way and let him down, the Lord is totally dependable. He has proved it before, so he is more confident when each new emergency comes up.

Now, if the Psalmist can say this, how much more can the Christian. If God is for us, who can be against us? (Romans 8:32). For God made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ (2 Corinthians 4:6). In view of Christ, how much more these terms “light”, “salvation” and “strength” mean. I am the light of the world (John 8:12). God exalted him to his own right hand as Prince and Saviour (Acts 5:31). When I am weak, then I am strong (2 Corinthians 12:10) – because God’s power rested on him. Therefore Paul was able to say in the same verse, That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weakness, in insults, in hardships, in persecution, in difficulties.

What God has been to His people down the ages, He will be to us tomorrow. A.W.Tozer wrote, “The Christian is strong or weak depending on how closely he has cultivated the knowledge of God.” E.M.Bund [name unclear] wrote, “To be little with God is to be little for God.” In the presence of difficulties or danger, the most effective counteraction is fixing ones mind on God. We need to wake up and constantly go through the day focusing not on self but on God. Constantly say, “The Lord is my light, my salvation and my strength”. Consider the overwhelming odds our forefathers faced, and yet were not defeated. We need not be concerned about being outnumbered - “One with God is a majority”. Hudson Taylor wrote, “All God’s giants have been weak men, who did great things for God because they reckoned on His being with them.”

The benefits which God bestows

What does the Psalmist say God can do for us? Firstly, He gives us peace of mind. Our fear is banished. Whom shall I fear? (Psalm 27:1). My heart will not fear (Psalm 27:3). Be strong and take heart, and wait for the Lord (Psalm 27:14). Life is never out of God’s control. Nothing ever happens unless God has ordained and permitted it. This knowledge frees us from anxious care.

Secondly the Psalmist refers to His providential care. Though my father and mother forsake me, the Lord will receive me (Psalm 27:10). Even if the closest human ties are broken, if my nearest and dearest fail me, the Lord will take care of me. Can a mother forget the baby at her breast… Though she may forget, I will not forget you. See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands (Isaiah 49:15,16). So every time He looks at His hands, He sees us. We are engraved there, not just stuck on and in danger of falling off. Here is a text for those lonely hours, bereavement, when we have been let down badly, when we have lost friends.

Thirdly God gives us guidance. Teach me your way, O Lord; lead me in a straight path because of my oppressors (Psalm 27:11). When we do not know what to do, but want to please God and follow His will, we can ask to be led aright. Appeal for guidance is very strong in the Psalms. He guides me in the paths of righteousness (Psalm 23:3); Show me your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths (Psalm 25:4); Lead me on level ground (Psalm 143: 10). The Psalmist was always concerned to go God’s way, and not his own. He does not ask for riches, or for popularity, for a carefree life or fame. Instead he desires “Your ways”, “your will”, “your paths” – at whatever cost.

Dr Arthur Weiser wrote, “Only those who have surrendered their hearts to the will of God in humility and are ready to act according to that will, avoid the risk of seeking to make God the servant of their own desires in asking for external help.” The man of the world will seek God when he is in difficulties, using God to sort out his problems, to be the servant of his own desires. But this is not what God is there for. We will only get God’s guidance when we are concerned to do His will and not our own.

So the Psalmist is dealing with very common everyday blessings – peace of mind, providential care and guidance. We need these things every day of our lives. The Psalmist had found these things in the past, and was confident he would have them in the future.

Fellowship which God offers

Returning to the point already made about submission to God. Blessings only come when the relationship to God is right. Cannot have His gifts without His government. The blesser must come before the blessings. The giver must come before the gifts. So we come to the practical secret of enjoying things which God will do for us. We must know God, seek God, submit to God, go God’s way, and be right with God. The Psalmist expresses his longing to know God in several ways.

One thing I ask.. that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life (Psalm 27:4). There he will gaze on the beauty of the Lord, and seek Him. He loves God’s house, the place where God manifests Himself. He seeks His person, and also seeks to learn His will. He wants to meditate on God and learn of Him. This is his supreme desire, the “one thing I ask”.

There is no doubt about it – God’s people love God’s house. It is not a duty to go. They will be there if they possibly can be

“We love the place O God

Wherein Thine honour dwells.

The joy of Thine abode

All earthly joy excels”

How important it is when we are in God’s house, that we do actually get in touch with Him. We are not just there to sing, or to catch up with friends, or just to listen to a man. The heart of it all is getting through to God and God getting through to us. It is desperately easy, on any Sunday, to go to Jerusalem but not to see the King. Everything depends on whether we approach the service of worship with prepared hearts.

“Here from the world we turn

Jesus to seek

Here may His loving voice

Tenderly speak”

Two words used by the Psalmist tell us how we should approach Him. Your face, O Lord, I will seek (Psalm 27:8), and Teach me your way (Psalm 27:11). To seek – to want to be in His presence, wanting to humbly bow before His throne, communing with Him, longing for Him with all my heart, desiring Him to reveal Himself. Is that how we feel in each church service we attend? Is that how we express ourselves before each service begins?

Then, to ask Him to teach us His will in every area of life – work, home, relationships, decisions. Then finally, we wait for the Lord. We have made our petitions known, and now we expect Him to answer. We look for and anticipate His answer, which will come in His way and in His time. So we can confidently and patiently wait. This is how people act and behave if God is all in all to them.

“My goal is God Himself. Not joy or peace. Nor even blessing. But Himself, my God. ‘Tis His to lead me there – not mine but His. At any cost, dear Lord, by any road.” [author of this quotation unknown]. This personal fellowship and dealing with God is what the Christian life is fundamentally about. This is what we are saved for.

Such God-centred fellowship ought to be an unbroken experience. Too often, Australian rivers in drought is a picture of many Christian’s lives. Stagnant pools here and there, then a long stretch of gravel, then another drop of water a mile away. Instead of one continuous stream. Even if we are busy with other things, there ought to be an undercurrent of awareness of God. Seek greater continuity of that consciousness of God, and seek to achieve it today, rather than tomorrow, so that breaks become less frequent than they are. What a difference it would make to our lives. It would make us calm and steady. We would leave behind our doubts which can rob us of His fellowship. Most of life’s problems would fall into place of their own accord. It would ensure we do not fritter our lives away on trivialities, and give us a scale of values. It would give us singleness of purpose, just as the Psalmist clearly longed after and sought this awareness of God.

Then use specific times to the full when we directly seek the Lord’s face. Know God for ourselves. Turn whole personality to Him – emotions, mind and will. Satisfy hunger of souls in Him. This is not about just knowing Bible facts, or being theologically sound, but being fully committed to Him. Tasting to see that the Lord is good. This should be our goal and foundation in life. Seek the Lord while he may be found (Isaiah 55:6). You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart (Jeremiah 29:13).