Sunday, September 3, 2006 · no responses · comments closed

Psalm 27 has long been a favorite of mine. About 7 years ago, I regularly prayed the first verse over Zachary and helped him memorize it to combat frequent nightmares:

The 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?

Taken by itself, this verse is encouraging, but it could be read as if David is simply asserting a theory: “God is on my side, I shouldn’t be afraid.” The next two verses make clear that he’s not talking theory; he’s talking certainty:

When evildoers assail me
to eat up my flesh,
my adversaries and foes,
it is they who stumble and fall.

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

I love David’s vivid language: “assail me to eat up my flesh”; we sometimes feel like that is happening when we are under attack from the enemy. But he makes no provision for loss even in such a terrifying circumstance. David can see only victory, no matter how the attack escalates. First it is “evildoers,” then “my adversaries and foes.” “Evildoers” is the most general term here, and some translations render it “the wicked.” “Adversaries” can also be translated “trouble” or “distress,” and “foes” are personal enemies. No matter who or what it is, David confidently asserts, “it is they who stumble and fall.”

David continues, almost as if he can hear us saying, “OK, one on one, you’ll win. But what happens when the odds are stacked against you?” Whether its an army or an entire war, David will not be afraid. He explains why in the next few verses:

One thing have I asked 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 gaze upon the beauty of the Lord
and to inquire in his temple.

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

It was a long time before I realized these two well-known passages — “He is my light and my salvation” and “One thing have I asked of the Lord” — were in the same psalm. Individually, they are inspiring, but together, they are powerful. David’s confidence comes from single-minded focus on God: “One thing have I asked…that will I seek after.”

David is usually pictured as a curly-headed boy strumming a harp as he watches fluffy sheep. Seen like that, David’s devotion seems easy; what else did he have to think about? Actually, David had a shepherding job, he was part of a family and dealt with difficult siblings, he worked for the king, and then he spent years as a soldier and fugitive from Saul. David’s life was not one of quiet contemplation. He had a lot going on — much like most of us. Yet in the midst of all his responsibilities, he is able to say, “More than anything in the world, I want to look at God and discover all that makes Him beautiful.”

As I’m writing this, I’m listening to “Beauty of the Lord” by Jared Anderson and “Beautiful One” by Tim Hughes. Both songs focus on God’s love:

Nothing compares to the beauty of the Lord
Jesus Your love takes my breath away (“Beauty of the Lord”)

Wonderful, so wonderful, is Your unfailing love
Your cross has spoken mercy over me
No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no heart could fully know
How glorious, how beautiful You are (“Beautiful One”)

Hughes, in reflecting on his song, writes: “It’s a wonderful truth to know that until we meet God in heaven face to face, there will always be more of Him to discover. There will be more of His beauty, His majesty, His mercy and His power to drink in.”

David knew this; more importantly, David realized that discovering God, gazing at His beauty, drinking it in, held first priority. Actually, I need to rephrase that: using the word priority makes it sound as if it’s a task to add to our to-do lists. “6:30 a.m. Gaze at beauty of Lord. 6:45 a.m. Check! Next?”

David understood that our highest calling and our deepest satisfaction come together in knowing God. All else pales by comparison. David’s imagination was so consumed by God’s beauty, everything, including his enemies, seemed small.

What’s the biggest thing in your life, in mine? In the midst of work, family, car pool, laundry, ask the Spirit to reveal God’s beauty. As we consider God and He grows more lovely, more majestic, more glorious, all else will take its rightful — diminished — place. From this will flow the confidence that says, “my adversaries and foes, it is they who stumble and fall.”