Have you ever woken up with a sense of uncertainty and even as much as dread? I did today, in the early hour of the morning. I didn’t need the alarm clock to wake me up; I just opened my eyes. It was exceptionally quiet, and as I looked out the window, I could see the snow falling and the darkness surrounding the area. Immediately, I thought of the horses outside in that cold weather.
I stood there in the darkness of my room looking out the window and asked the Lord to protect us within the house and to protect the horses outside. I also prayed for my oldest dog, Soxie and asked the Lord to heal her left hind leg. As I prayed for her, I recognized the reason for the early morning apprehension.
I thought, “I need more assurance, trust and encouragement. I need to ‘beat this funk’ and rid this dismay in my heart.” So, I go to the Word and read Psalm 27. Have you ever gone to the Word and selected a portion of scripture at random? I don’t do it often, but on occasion I will.
David wrote this psalm during one of his troublesome times. As I read the first six verses of this Psalm, I note that he is sensing the closeness of his enemies. He notes they surround him. But, because of this apprehension perhaps, he begins to focus not on the enemies but on God. He asks, “why should I be afraid, when the Lord is my light and my salvation. He is my fortress, protecting me from danger, so why should I tremble?” He asks himself these questions as a means to encourage himself by his trust and attention on God.
He continues, “Even if I am attacked, I will remain, confident.” As I read this, I sense the strength he has encouraged himself to have, as I begin to sense that encouragement as well. He writes, “the one thing I ask the Lord, and seek the most is to live in the house of the Lord, all the days of my life.” He knew as do I that if we do this; trusting, believing, living, walking, and encouraging ourselves in Him, we will weather the dark storms that come our way.
We will “delight ourselves in the Lord’s perfections.” We will be concealed from our imperfections
and enemies that surround us. The Lord
will hide us in his sanctuary. “Then I will hold my head high
above my enemies who surround me. At his sanctuary I will offer sacrifices with
shouts of joy, singing and praising the Lord with
music.” Psalm 27: 6 What a wondrous place to be!
ritasalomon 