In Ephesians 6:10-12, Paul writes, “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” Similarly, Peter writes in 1 Peter 5:8, “Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”

It’s hard to read either of those texts and miss the fact that we’re at war and that we have an adversary who would like to destroy us. It’s clear, isn’t it? But perhaps for most of us, you don’t need any convincing because you know it experientially at every turn. Satan, sin, and death may well feel like enemies that never let up. Either you’re dealing with your own struggle with sin and the draw of temptation feels stronger every day or you wrestle with the reality of others’ sins and the effect they have on you. Perhaps others who have walked through the recent death of someone you love deeply, and you don’t need anyone to convince you that death reigns in this world, to use Paul’s language from Romans 5.

Simply put, we live in a world that at times can feel like anything but our home. We wrestle with our own sin and sickness, our own suffering and selfishness, and our own sadness and sorrows. And that’s just us. Again, there are many. In any given week we deal with these things again and again that can make us want to say, “I can’t take anymore.” We can sometimes feel so attacked in our souls that we feel paralyzed, as if there is a continual darkness around us that we can’t escape.

Well, the good news is that we aren’t the first to deal with adversaries. We aren’t the first to feel pain, suffering, sadness, confusion, and fear. We’ve noted before that if you divide the psalms into groups according to the kind of psalm each is, the largest group would be those psalms of lament. And that’s fitting isn’t it? It’s fitting because much of our lives are spent with plenty of reason to lament. And, even when lament takes up only a small portion of our lives, perhaps, it leaves deep marks. Some of the happy moments in life are easy to forget while the pain of suffering can be felt by us anew almost as if it were fresh once again. So, it really is fitting that in the Psalter, which gives us a means of dealing with the events and emotions of life often addresses us in the midst of our sorrows and fears.

And Psalm 27, the psalm we’re looking at this morning, is no exception. It seems that David writes this psalm in the midst of having enemies rise up against him. We see him asking the question in verse 1, “Of whom shall I be afraid?” But even asking that question highlights the reality that there probably is something that David might at least be tempted to fear. And in verse 2, he mentions evildoers assailing him and in verse 3 an army encamping against him. And while these are perhaps best understood as hypotheticals – things that could theoretically happen – it’s clear in verses 10-12 that David is under attack. He’s been forsaken (in whatever sense) by his father and mother, and his enemies, adversaries, and false witnesses have arisen against him, breathing out violence against him. David is a man under attack – even if it’s simply at the level of verbal attacks at this point.

So, what then does David do? After all, answering this question is no doubt helpful to us as we find ourselves in similar circumstances. So, let me walk through the psalm a bit, noting how David’s response and provides instruction for us as well. What do we do when we’re in the midst of attacks, suffering, and struggles in our lives? First, this psalm seems to suggest that we . . .

Remember the character, promises, and works of God (1-6)

David begins by proclaiming the confidence he has in the Lord. We read in verses 1-6, “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? 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. 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. And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies all around me, and I will offer in his tent sacrifices with shouts of joy; I will sing and make melody to the LORD.”

You hear in these verses something akin to Romans 8:31, “If God is for us, who can be against us?” David is confident in the Lord, and does not fear his enemies. But why is he confident? It’s because he knows that God is a warrior for his people. The images of light, salvation, and a stronghold are all military images of conquest in this psalm. When darkness is around, light dispels it. When you’re in trouble, salvation is a term of deliverance. When you’re being attacked, a stronghold is an image of safety – a refuge.

Also, David’s seen this. He’s seen his enemies stumble and fall he notes in verse 2. He knows what God has promised him, his kingdom will endure. Therefore, he trusts in the character, works, and promises of God. In fact, he trusts so deeply that it is with confidence that he speaks of the future in verses 5-6, noting what God will do. He will hide me in his shelter, he will conceal me under the cover of his tent, he will lift me high upon a rock, and my head shall be lifted up. He even notes that after God does all of this, he will offer sacrifices and sing unto the Lord. David is remembering the character, promises, and works of God, and it leads him to have confidence in the Lord.

This is instructive for us. In the midst of the darkness and despair and whatever attacks are going on around us, we will hope in God only as we reflect on his character, promises, and works. This is one reason why the Word is such a stabilizing anchor for our souls. It reminds us of these things.

I’ve mentioned before that my grandmother’s favorite verse was Hebrews 13:8 – “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” I believe the reason was because regardless of what goes on in your life or the swirling nature of events around you, you are able to fix your attention on one who’s character doesn’t change, whose works are consistent, and whose promises are certain. Fix yourself, then, on the character, promises, and works of God as a stabilizing anchor for your soul.

Second, we should . . .

Don’t lose sight of what’s most important (4)

It reads a bit odd in verse 4 when, after voicing his confidence in the Lord, we read in verse 4, “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.”

Now, what’s interesting about this is that David may very well have an army that is marching up against him, and he’s sitting here telling God that what he wants more than anything else in the Lord is gaze upon the beauty of the Lord in the tabernacle. Why?

I think the answer is that it’s because it’s David’s greatest need. We know throughout the Scripture that the greatest commandment is that we love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. That’s the greatest thing that we need to be doing. So, when should it be our priority? Is it only our priority when other things are taken care of? Of course not.

I had a roommate in college who used to say that the Lord doesn’t expect us to obey his commandments only if we are in a perfect situation. That is, it’s not as if the Lord is in the heavens saying, “I wish I could take back the command to love me with his everything because, good grief, he’s got a lot of things on his plate right now that need his attention.” The Lord knows we’re busy. The Lord knows we’re struggling. The Lord knows we’re confused. The Lord knows every single thing in your life that is calling for your attention and concern, and he doesn’t back off the fact that the greatest commandment is that you love him.

David didn’t lose sight of that, and in fact, he realized that as he loved the Lord and beheld his beauty, it would strengthen his soul, reminding him of the very one who would hide him, protect him, and lift him up. So, in the midst of darkness, don’t lose sight of what is most important.

Third, we should . . .

Pray in line with God’s will (7-12)

David turns in verses 7-12 to prayer. He cries out to God to meet his need, not abandon him, etc. It seems there are two aspects to David’s prayer. The first is that God might not abandon him. He prays for that in verses 7-10 and in verse 12. It’s obvious in verses 7-10, as David prays that the Lord would not hide his face from him, would not turn David away, would not forsake him or cast him off. But it’s also there in verse 12 as David asks that the Lord would not give him up to the will of his adversaries. That is simply the result of what would happen if God were to forsake him, abandon him, and cast him off. So, verses 7-10 and verse 12 are simply two sides of the same coin.

But note what he prays in verse 11. There, he says, “Teach me your way, O Lord, and lead me on a level path because of my enemies.” Here, David is praying that the Lord would move his heart in the direction he should go. He simply wants to know what the Lord would have him do, which way he should go, what obedience would look like. Why does David want this?

David wants this because he knows that the greatest threat to his kingdom isn’t the enemy that is encamping against him. It’s having his own heart turn to disobedience and facing the Lord’s judgment. All that matters in this moment is what does obedience look like for David. That’s David’s prayer.

And this is a reminder to us that in moments where there is great confusion and distress, we can stop and pray in line with God’s will. We can say, “Lord, there is much I don’t know right now, but what I do know is that you want me to obey you, be like Christ, grow in love for you and my neighbor, etc.” And we can pray to those ends. Sometimes, in the midst of darkness and confusion, we can become overwhelming and feel that we have no grip of what we should be doing, but in times like that we can pause and pray in line with God’s perfect will as he’s revealed in the Scripture, even as we see David doing here.

Next, . . .


Keep your eyes on your certain future (13)

In verse 13, David prays with confidence that he believes he will not die. He writes, “I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.” That is, David is simply saying that he believes he’ll win this upcoming battle, that he will not be killed, but will continue to walk in the land of the living.

Now, in our circumstances, there’s often not this confidence is there? We sometimes don’t know if we’ll recover from sickness, if the situation will turn out as we hope, if our life will take a positive turn in the way that we think it will. But what we do know is what eternity holds.

So, even as David could rest in confidence that he wouldn’t die, in line with God’s promises to him, we can rest in confidence that God will preserve us and one day will send his Son to come and get us to be with him forever. Don’t lose sight of that. Hold on to that truth. There’s a reason why Paul says in Romans 8:18 that he doesn’t think that the suffering of this world is worth comparing to the glory that is to be revealed to us. It’s because unless he had that eternity reality held fast in his heart and mind, the suffering of this world might undo him. So, hold fast and don’t lose sight of eternity.

And finally . . .

Seek to minister to others (14)

David ends the psalm with an exhortation to the reader. He writes, “Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD!” (v. 14). Now, perhaps this was David preaching to himself or others when he first wrote it. It is unclear. What is clear, however, is that as this psalm would have been read to the people later, they would have heard it as an exhortation to themselves. Therefore, I think it’s best to see this element in David’s heart – even if not his primary aim.

And it’s amazing, isn’t it, how many psalms will speak of the author in such great pain and agony and then turning to minister to others. Even in Psalm 51, as David confesses his own sin and comes face to face with how he’s dishonored the Lord, he asks that God might be merciful so that he could turn and teach others about the ways of the merciful God.

And it’s here to. David deals with his own struggles, and then reminds the people that they should wait on the Lord in the midst of their struggles.

This is a lesson for us as well. There can be a temptation to focus merely on ourselves in our struggles. After all, we’re the ones who we feel are hurting most. However, if we turn our hearts to the Lord and are comforted by him, it is to the end that we might comfort others with the comfort with which we’ve been comforted. So, don’t lose sight of that. If we wait to minister to and love our neighbors until we are free from suffering, we’ll probably never find a window to love others, focus on them, and esteem them as better than ourselves.

So, where are you this morning? Is the pain and confusion in your life swirling around you? Do you feel that the attack of Satan, sin, and death are at full force in your life? Then, let’s turn to Psalm 27 and let this lead us in handling our struggles. Let us remind ourselves of God’s character, promises, and works. Let us not lose sight of fixing our hearts on loving the Lord. Let us pray in line with God’s revealed will in his Word. Let us set our eyes on eternity, and let us love our neighbors as ourselves. And if we want to know where to start in fixing our eyes on who God is and what he has done, then fix your eyes, minds, and hearts on what he has done for us in Jesus Christ. After all, he sent his Son to take on flesh, live, die for our sins, and rise on the third day when we were his enemies so that we might have eternal life. Your situation now is not as grave as our situation was then, and God showed himself gracious and loving to us then. How can we do anything other than cling to him, love him, and obey him now. Let’s come to the table, remember the gospel, and then find grace to walk honorably in the midst of our struggles. Amen.