Psalm 27

 1The 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?

2When the wicked advance against me

to devour ^a me,

it is my enemies and my foes

who will stumble and fall.

3Though an army besiege me,

my heart will not fear;

though war break out against me,

even then I will be confident.

4One thing I ask from the Lord,

this only do I seek:

that I may dwell in the house of the Lord

all the days of my life,

to gaze on the beauty of the Lord

and to seek him in his temple.

5For in the day of trouble

he will keep me safe in his dwelling;

he will hide me in the shelter of his sacred tent

and set me high upon a rock.

6Then my head will be exalted

above the enemies who surround me;

at his sacred tent I will sacrifice with shouts of joy;

I will sing and make music to the Lord.

7Hear my voice when I call, Lord;

be merciful to me and answer me.

8My heart says of you, “Seek his face!”

Your face, Lord, I will seek.

9Do not hide your face from me,

do not turn your servant away in anger;

you have been my helper.

Do not reject me or forsake me,

God my Savior.

10Though my father and mother forsake me,

the Lord will receive me.

11Teach me your way, Lord;

lead me in a straight path

because of my oppressors.

12Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes,

for false witnesses rise up against me,

spouting malicious accusations.

13I remain confident of this:

I will see the goodness of the Lord

in the land of the living.

14Wait for the Lord;

be strong and take heart

and wait for the Lord.
**********************
Thoughts: Do you have a light in the darkness of life?  A few months ago, I decided to walk about a half mile right at dusk.  I couldn't see really well and almost stepped on a snake.  If I had a light and was looking where I was going, I would
n't have come close and startle both snake and me!  The Lord is my light and my salvation.  He shows me the snakes on the pavement and the potholes to avoid.  Because God shows us how we should go in life, and we trust in Him, we do not need to be afraid?  The Psalmist (maybe David- the postscript is added later) trusts in God even in times of war or trouble.  It is not all up to defense plans and weapons, it is ultimately up to God.  This does not mean that just being good makes you win wars.  But this is for the individual who can find strength in God.  
Then he says "one thing he asks"- that is that he may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of his life.  His hearts love- is to worship God.  He talks about the sacred tent (the tabernacle- for the Temple had not yet been built) as the "house of the Lord."  Today, our bodies are the Temple or dwelling place of God.  Yet, there is something special about going to a place where other believers are singing, praying, and listening for God.  
People will forsake us.  They may forsake us on purpose- to save their own skin or better themselves.  They may forsake us by death.  Certainly parents usually die before children, and even the adult child may feel forsaken.  Yet God is eternal, and is an eternal help to us while we are alive.  Loneliness is an epidemic (according to the US Surgeon General).  The UK has a cabinet post appointed- "the minister of loneliness" to combat it.  We may be alone, but God is always there.  Part of our loneliness is turning away from God and turning toward a fake or half relationship of social media- to which we can become addicted.  
I remain confident of this- that God will help me-right now in this life- in the land of the living.  God's help is not just in the life to come- though the help of heaven means God will always win in the end.  
Because of this confidence, we can wait on the Lord, even when things are bad and trials come.  David had multiple enemies in this life and overcame them all.  It was not that he didn't have a hard time.  He was exiled; his own son betrayed him; he was accused falsely; he risked his life against a giant; he fought when he was a boy against wolves and bears who were trying to kill his sheep.  Yet David did not give up his trust in God. We too can have confidence and wait on the Lord.  He is our light and our salvation. 

Prayer: Lord, when things get dark and I feel alone, help me to put my trust in you.   

God a priority- Psalm 27

1The 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?4One thing I ask from the Lord,this only do I seek:that I may dwell in the house of the Lordall the days of my life,to gaze on the beauty of the Lordand to seek him in his temple.

5For in the day of troublehe will keep me safe in his dwelling;he will hide me in the shelter of his sacred tentand set me high upon a rock. (Psalm 27:1,4,5)

Thoughts: The house of the Lord is a sanctuary from fear and from trouble.  The Lord is a priority as the Lord.  The word "Lord" here is a substitute for YHWH- the name for God.  In Hebrew they substituted adonai- "the Lord" for this name.  The Lord is the One whom we serve.  It is the one thing we should seek- to be near Him.  When trouble comes, we want to be near our source of peace and protection- the "Big man upstairs" as some say.  God is larger than any problem we face.  He is stronger than anyone or any problem.  He is so much larger that we can be assured He will win in the end.  Even death cannot defeat Him.  Today, we should make God a priority (as our Lord), so that we know Him and feel comfortable going to Him in the day of trouble. We are so easily distracted these days.  Facebook, Twitter, texting, wasting time on the phone, TV, video games, entertainment, that we forget what is truly important.  

Prayer: Lord I seek you and your presence.  Let me find your presence and peace even in the midst of my trouble.  

6/15/14- Father's Day Thought

1The 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?

2When the wicked advance against me

to devour^a me,

it is my enemies and my foes

who will stumble and fall.

3Though an army besiege me,

my heart will not fear;

though war break out against me,

even then I will be confident.

4One thing I ask from the Lord,

this only do I seek:

that I may dwell in the house of the Lord

all the days of my life,

to gaze on the beauty of the Lord

and to seek him in his temple.

5For in the day of trouble

he will keep me safe in his dwelling;

he will hide me in the shelter of his sacred tent

and set me high upon a rock.

Thoughts: Father's Day.  For many Dad is the rock- for others Dad is missing.  But God is the Heavenly Father who is always there- our light in darkness, our salvation when we are helpless.  So - where does Dad go when trouble comes? 

When trouble comes, one of the best places to go is to the house of the Lord.  The ironic thing is that for many, when trouble comes we want to retreat by ourselves.  But the best thing is not a psychological- fetal- position, but to open ourselves to the Lord's help- in worship.  For God is our shield- he protects us when we are being attacked (physically, mentally, spiritually).  He is the great shield who hides us- protecting us like a shelter from the rain.  It gives us solid confidence to know we have such a place to go.  For those who do not believe such a shelter is missing and they must stand against the arrows of life without sure hope, without sure victory, and without a solid shelter.  So, yes, Lord, one thing I seek- You!

Prayer: Lord, when I seek you, may I find you and your help for me. 

11/30/12- Advent and Waiting

I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.  14 Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.

Thoughts: In our culture, waiting and resting are bad things.  Yet they are reminders that we are not there yet.  As we prepare for advent (Sunday), we need to remember that one of the themes of advent is waiting on God to come- as Mary did, as the whole world did, as we do.
    In heaven there will not be lines- only circles.  In heaven there will not be lack of patience, because we do not run out of time, and we see (finally clearly) that all time and eternity is in God's hands.  
    Here our bodies are forced to rest- to sleep as a sign of our finitude, and a bit of humility to our pride.  Sabbath is broken in a rebellion against our ability to wait, to rest, to spend time with family and God.  In heaven we see Sabbath is much more important than our idea of work and productivity- which apart from God's glory- has no eternal importance.  
    So wait on the Lord.  When you are going through the trials, pains, and griefs of life-- wait on Him.  

Prayer: Help me to wait on you, O Lord.  Give me confidence to wait on you.