“I would have lost heart, unless I had believed That I would see the goodness of the LORD In the land of the living.” Psalm 27:13
In Psalm 27, David expressed his complete trust in God to deliver him from every challenge regardless of intensity. Several important principles in this psalm provide the faithful confidence to serve the Lord, come what may. When we see His servants lose heart, turn from faith, and walk away from His salvation, we wonder why they would do such, and to whom are these people turning (John 6:68-69)? One may turn to any number of “comforters” after losing heart, but the preventive measures never change. In what follows, we will ponder some of the key principles revealed by David, a man who endured so many painful and terrifying obstacles (some of which were self-inflicted) but pressed on in God’s service. Though he failed repeatedly, he never quit or walked away from God. We must follow suit.
First, David knew God alone was “…my light and my salvation…the strength of my life…” prompting him to ask, “Of whom shall I be afraid?” (vs. 1). He then recalled times when wicked foes sought his destruction and said of God’s provisions in his life, “…I will be confident” (vv. 2-3). If we would endure our various difficulties and dangers in His service, we must recognize who our light, salvation, and strength is and trust He will deliver us as he did David.
Second, he kept his focus in life singular (Matthew 6:19-34). Of course, this was not the case in his immense failure with Bathsheba and Uriah, but on the whole and in the end, this was David’s manner of life. His one desire was 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 inquire in His temple” (vs. 4). He reasoned thus because he knew God would ultimately shelter Him in His presence (vs. 5).
Third, in light of the above, he was determined to “…offer sacrifices of joy in His tabernacle…yes, I will sing praises to the Lord” (vs. 6). This in no way means all of life will be simple, easy, pain free, or any other such thing. What it does mean is that faith of the saving kind will grant the peace and joy of the Lord despite the circumstances (cf. John 14:27; 15:18-21; 16:33; Romans 5:1-5; 2 Timothy 3:12; James 1:2-4; 1 Peter 2:13-18). David wrote numerous psalms praising God for the joy He provides even while he was enduring threats from enemies.
Fourth, he recognized that, even if all the other close relations in his life should forsake him, the Lord is sure to be there when he seeks His face (vv. 7-10). In this block, he highlighted the reality that God will hear the voice of the one who cries out to Him, respond with mercy, answer the seeker’s prayer, and never forsake them (Hebrews 13:5-6; cf. Deuteronomy 31:6-8; Joshua 1:5). Nothing has changed in God’s nature, so we too ought to rest in this hope today (Hebrews 13:8).
Fifth, central to this pursuit of His presence is the pursuit of His will (vv. 11-12). This is prerequisite for any who seek His presence, provisions, and protection. God blesses all, including His enemies (Matthew 5:43-48), but His ultimate blessings and protections belong to those who seek Him with their whole heart (Deuteronomy 4:29; Proverbs 8:17; Isaiah 55:6; Jeremiah 29:13; Matthew 7:7-11; James 4:8).
Finally, we must trust that, if we wait on the Lord with good courage, He will strengthen our hearts (vv. 13-14). Had David not believed that he would, “…see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living,” he knew he would not have had the heart to finish. Thankfully for him, and for us because of the lessons he has left behind, he did believe this critical truth, and he waited on the Lord leading to his salvation. Like David, no matter the circumstances, if we will apply these truths to our lives according to the New Covenant He has given us, we will not lose heart either.