He Hears Our Groaning

In my counseling work, I hear hard stories and the groaning of counselees in the face of significant hardship. When I meet with friends for coffee, I hear of trials and tribulations, of sorrows and fears. In my own life, I weep and groan over losses and cry out to God for help and wisdom in uncertain times. I’m sure I’m not alone in this. We all groan over life lived in a fallen world that is filled with pain and sorrow and perhaps we wonder, does God hear our groaning? Does he hear our cries for help?

In Psalm 12, David experienced difficult circumstances. Just as in other psalms, David comes to God in lament because of his enemies. In this psalm, we see him experience verbal oppression by his enemies. “Save, O LORD, for the godly one is gone; for the faithful have vanished from among the children of man. Everyone utters lies to his neighbor; with flattering lips and a double heart they speak” (v. 1-2). It seems as though everyone is out for themselves; there is no one who cares to speak the truth. He describes the way in which people lie to one another as “flattering lips and a double heart.” The Hebrew word for “flattery” here is chelqah, a word used to describe division of land. The reference to a “double heart” refers to someone who is not honest about their true intentions. They cover up who they really are with flattery; they don’t reveal their true heart. In their use of flattery, they divide who they are with false pretenses. In doing so, they believe they are powerful (v.4).

David brings his complaint to the Lord in lament and God hears his cries. God responds: “Because the poor are plundered, because the needy groan, I will now arise,” says the LORD; “I will place him in the safety for which he longs” (v. 5). God hears the groans of his people and does something about it.

Charles Spurgeon wrote concerning this passage:

“We are not the first persons who have had reason to complain of the evils by which we are surrounded. But see the power that there is in the sorrows of God’s children to touch the heart of their great Father when he hears their groaning. When those sorrows come to be so bitter that the sufferers can scarcely pray, when they cannot find any language in which to express their grief, when even their desires seem to fail and they are so broken down and made so weak by the various troubles that have crushed them that it comes to just this groaning and nothing more, then God cannot be still. He must get up. He may have hidden his face before, but now he sees that the time has come to manifest his unchanging love and grace.”

In redemptive history, we see God respond to the groans of his people. In Exodus 2, Moses writes about God’s people groaning because of their slavery in Egypt: “the people of Israel groaned because of their slavery and cried out for help. Their cry for rescue from slavery came up to God. And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. God saw the people of Israel—and God knew” (Ex. 2:23-25). God heard. God remembered. God saw. God knew. When it says “God remembered” it is a covenantal remembering. He acts for his people based on his covenant promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Because of his covenant promises, he delivered his people from Egypt and brought them to the Promised Land.

How much more so will God hear, remember, see, and know when we cry out to him in our troubles? After all, on this side of redemptive history, we see the fulfillment of God’s covenant promises in the person and work of Jesus Christ. We see God answer the heart cries of his people by providing the perfect, spotless lamb—the true and final sacrifice for sin. We see God provide a Savior, One who saved us from sin and brought us back into right relationship with God. Unlike those who speak falsehood in Psalm 12, God’s words are pure words (Ps. 12:6). They are words we can trust. They are words which always come to pass. This means we can expect God to hear and respond to our groanings, because he has bound us to himself through the Son.

Paul wrote in Romans 8 that when we don’t have the words to cry out to God, the Spirit himself groans on our behalf: “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God” (vv. 26-27). When the pains and sorrows of life mute us, there is One who stands before God on our behalf, speaking for us. What grace!

So, does God hear the groans of his people? He does indeed. As David wrapped up his psalm, “You, O LORD, will keep them; you will guard us from this generation forever” (v.7). While life in a fallen world brings great sorrow, and while evil continues to prowl upon the earth, God will keep his people forever.

He hears. He remembers. He sees. He knows.

Photo by Krists Luhaers on Unsplash

On Lament, Psalm 142, and this Current Crisis

How are you feeling these days? This crisis is bringing up many difficult emotions for all of us. It certainly is for me. Throughout the day, I find myself hop-scotching from worry to loneliness to frustration to boredom to discontentment. Some days are better than others. Especially when I don’t allow myself to consider the unknown future.

I am sad for all that my children are missing. I am disappointed by cancelled plans. I am lonely and miss friends and family. I am worried about our health. I grieve the losses many have experienced and will experience in the weeks to come.

The question is: what do I do with all these difficult emotions?

All I know to do is to lament. To lament is to cry out to God, to bring our emotions before him and seek his help. It’s to be raw and honest with the Lord. It’s to verbalize our fears, sorrows, and cares in his presence. It’s to voice our longings, hopes, cares, and dreams. It is to seek his justice, salvation, and provision. It’s to dwell on who he is and what he has done. And it’s to trust and wait and hope for his deliverance.

Psalm 142 is a lament, one written by David while he was on the run from his enemies—likely King Saul. While hiding and fearful for his life, he cried out in prayer to the Lord. It is a prayer that was later turned into a psalm used in Israel’s worship, sung as we do our hymns and praise songs on Sunday morning. This lament is apropos for our time. You might say David was in quarantine, sheltered away not at home, but in a dark and desolate cave.

“With my voice I cry out to the LORD;
with my voice I plead for mercy to the LORD.
I pour out my complaint before him;
I tell my trouble before him”

David brought his emotions and cares to the LORD. He used God’s covenant name, Yahweh, the Great I AM. This is the name God gave Moses at the burning bush and refers to God’s aseity, his eternal self-existence, his sovereignty, and his covenant-keeping presence with his people. David cried out to the God who rules over all things.

“When my spirit faints within me,
you know my way!
In the path where I walk
they have hidden a trap for me.
Look to the right and see:
there is none who takes notice of me;
no refuge remains to me;
no one cares for my soul”

David was weary and worn. His enemies were relentless. It felt like no one could help him; there was no one who even cared. He was abandoned, alone, and afraid. He voiced these troubles in his prayer. He was honest with God. After all, God already knew how David felt and what thoughts were going through his mind. God knew he was stuck in the cave, far from home and from his loved ones. God knew everything that was happening in David’s life. As C.H. Spurgeon commented, “Observe his comfort: he looked away from his own condition to the ever observant, all knowing God: and solaced himself with the fact that all was known to his heavenly Friend. Truly it is well for us to know that God knows what we do not know. We lose our heads, but God never closes his eyes: our judgments lose their balance, but the eternal mind is always clear.”

“I cry to you, O LORD;
I say, “You are my refuge,
my portion in the land of the living.”
Attend to my cry,
for I am brought very low!
Deliver me from my persecutors,
for they are too strong for me!”

David sought God’s help. He asked God to hear his cry and respond. He asked for rescue and deliverance. He asked God to intervene in his life. As he did, David looked to who God is: his refuge and his portion. He humbled himself before the Almighty, the Great I AM, seeking his help and strength.

“Bring me out of prison,
that I may give thanks to your name!
The righteous will surround me,
for you will deal bountifully with me.”

David ended his lament with hope and trust. He hadn’t yet experienced God’s rescue, but he expected God to intervene and help him. He looked forward to rejoining God’s people. He anticipated giving thanks to God for his goodness to him. This is a response of faith. The process of lamenting, of crying out to God, reshaped David’s emotions. In the face of the Great I AM, his lesser fears weakened. He knew God was his refuge and trusted that he would deliver him.

I don’t know about you, but I can relate to David’s emotions. I too am weary and worn. I feel overwhelmed by our current circumstances. Like David, I don’t know how long I’ll be stuck in my home. Like David’s enemies, this illness is also strong and relentless. But as this psalm reminds me, God is greater. He is the Great I AM. Therefore, this crisis will not have the final say.

So, I will do as David did and what God’s people have done for centuries. I will cry out to God in lament. I will pour out my soul before him. I will ask for his help and rescue. And I will trust in who he is: my refuge in times of trouble. “The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge, my savior; you save me from violence” (2 Samuel 22:2-3).

Hope for the Weary {and a giveaway}

People often ask me which of my books is my favorite. In many ways, my books are like my children—birthed through tears and pain. Yet, I do have a favorite and it’s A Heart Set Free, one I wrote about the Psalms of Lament. The process of writing the book gave me an even greater love and appreciation for the Psalms than I had before. I continue to read and study and learn from its prose.

The Psalms have always met me right where I am. They often hold up a mirror to show me what’s going on in my heart. Whether it was in the grief and depression of adolescence, the postpartum days of early motherhood, or just in the struggles that come with living in a fallen world, the Psalms have been and continue to be a balm to my weary soul.

Lately, I’ve struggled with a deep weariness. Such weariness is likely a combination of health issues, the stage of life I’m in, and the challenge of juggling too many plates. I’m weary of dealing with the thorns and thistles of life. I’m worn from ripping out weeds and pulling out the briars— only to find them reappear soon after. Life too often feels like a Monday, set on repeat.

And so I go to where I know I’ll find hope: the Psalms.

Psalm 71

I recently read Psalm 71. In one of my Bibles, the heading reads “Forsake me not when my strength is spent.” Yes! That’s a good description of where I’m at: spent strength. In another study Bible, the heading reads “God’s help in old age.” (I smiled when I read that title.)

The psalmist was likely advanced in years when he penned the psalm, for he wrote, “Do not cast me off in the time of old age; forsake me not when my strength is spent” (v.9) and “So even to old age and gray hairs, O God, do not forsake me, until I proclaim your might to another generation, your power to all those to come but whether one is old or young, it points to our hope” (v.18). Whether we are young or old, or somewhere in between, Psalm 71 points us to our great hope in God.

As I read this psalm, it was like learning from a mentor who has walked with the Lord for many years. He models what it looks like to lament with hope. It is both a psalm of lament, where the psalmist cries out to God for help and rescue, but it is also a testimony of God’s faithfulness. “Upon you I have leaned from before my birth; you are he who took me from my mother’s womb” (v.6). The psalmist’s knowledge of God isn’t merely theological, it’s also experiential. He knows from past experience of God’s steadfast love and faithfulness. He’s seen God move in his life and rescue him time and time again. He’s learned where to turn when life is hard, when evil pushes in from every side, when he feels weak and unable to stand. “O God, from my youth you have taught me, and I still proclaim your wondrous deeds” (v.17).

In this psalm, the writer faces enemies who plot against him. He asks the Lord to rescue him: “In your righteousness deliver me and rescue me; incline your ear to me, and save me! Be to me a rock of refuge, to which I may continually come; you have given the command to save me, for you are my rock and my fortress” (vv.2-3). Like a wise mentor, the psalmist points the reader to who God is throughout the psalm. He describes God as a rock, refuge, fortress, hope, righteousness, salvation, strength, and faithful. He talks about God’s works and acts of righteousness. He looks to God as his salvation and hope in the midst of his fears. “Your righteousness, O God, reaches the high heavens. You who have done great things, O God, who is like you?” (v.19).

Though this psalm is a lament, though the psalmist is fearful of those who are against him and cries out to God for his help and deliverance, there is also praise and worship woven throughout. The psalmist interrupts his complaints to praise God for who he is “My mouth is filled with your praise, and with your glory all the day” (v.8) and “But I will hope continually and will praise you yet more and more” (v.14).

A Testimony for the Weak and Weary

I recently talked with a mentor/friend who lost a loved one. She testified to me of God’s great love for her during a hard and painful time. She spoke of God’s grace and faithfulness toward her in her grief. She did as the psalmist did in verse 18: “I proclaim your might to another generation, your power to all those to come.” My friend, like the psalmist, has known God’s love and faithfulness throughout her life. She knows that while sorrows and storms will roll over her, God is her refuge. She knows, like the the psalmist, that God is her comfort. “You who have made me see many troubles and calamities will revive me again; from the depths of the earth you will bring me up again. You will increase my greatness and comfort me again” (vv. 20-21).

What a testimony for the weak and weary! These truths are what my heart needs most as I face my own weariness. God is my refuge and strength. He will sustain me and carry me. He is my salvation. I want my own heart to respond as the psalmist in Psalm 71. I want to cry out to God for help in the face of life’s circumstances. I want to remember all he’s done for me in the past. I want to trust him to carry me in my weakness. And I want a heart that bursts out into praise and worship, even in the midst of fear, sorrow, and weariness, so that others might also know that God alone is the source of hope and help.

I’d love to share with you the joy of reading and studying the Psalms—of learning how to model your own prayers and heart cries after the Psalms of Lament. To that end, I am running a giveaway of A Heart Set Free. Enter below in the giveaway box, US residents only. Giveaway ends on March 15 at 12am EST. Update: this giveaway has ended and the winners have been contacted. Thank you for entering!

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Three Things to Remember When Life is Hard

Last year, during our trip to Israel, I had the opportunity to visit a site that held special significance for me. While every site we explored was important and meaningful, this particular site was one I had spent a year thinking about and studying when I wrote A Heart Set Free. To see it in person was surreal and I couldn’t help but respond with strong emotion. What site was it? En Gedi.

The word En Gedi means “spring of the wild goat.” En Gedi is an oasis in the middle of the Judean Wilderness. What makes it so remarkable is its close proximity to the Dead Sea; everything in the surrounding area is dead, lifeless. Yet, wild goats feed off the lush and vibrant plants that grow there. A stream of water rushes through the middle of the oasis. Surrounding this stream are rocky cliffs dotted with caves. It is in those caves where David hid while on the run from King Saul in the Old Testament.

1 Samuel 24:1-2 says, “When Saul returned from following the Philistines, he was told, “Behold, David is in the wilderness of Engedi.” Then Saul took three thousand chosen men out of all Israel and went to seek David and his men in front of the Wildgoats’ Rocks.” In those caves, frightened and alone, David penned at least two psalms, Psalm 57 and 142.

David’s Cry in Psalm 142

In Psalm 142, David cries out to the Lord for help and hope. “With my voice I cry out to the LORD; with my voice I plead for mercy to the LORD. I pour out my complaint before him; I tell my trouble before him” (Psalm 142:1-2). He tells the Lord exactly how he is feeling and what he is going through. He says “my spirit faints within me” (v.3). “I am brought very low” (v.6). And “Deliver me from my persecutors, for they are too strong for me!” (v. 6).

While few of us have been on the run from our enemies as David was, we do know what it’s like to be at then end of our rope, to feel stuck with nowhere to turn. We know what it feels like to be in despair or to feel lost and alone. We know what it’s like to be afraid. We know what it’s like to face something so frightening, we can’t imagine any way around it. We know what it’s like to look for help and find none (v.4).

In the midst of that terrifying circumstance, David turned to the LORD God. He turned to the great I Am for help and hope.

For those of us who find ourselves with similar emotions to what David writes about in Psalm 142, there are three things we can remember from this passage.

God’s Knows

In verse three, David wrote “When my spirit faints within me, you know my way!” Our God is an omniscient God. He knows all things. He knows the end from the beginning. He is never surprised or caught off guard by the circumstances of our lives. And he knows us intimately. As David wrote elsewhere, “O LORD, you have searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O LORD, you know it altogether” (Psalm 139:1-4).

God knows just what to do in all circumstances. And he knows what is best for us. John Calvin encourages us to rest in the fact that God knows: “God knew the way to deliver him, while his own mind was distracted by a variety of thoughts, and yet could not conceive any mode of extrication. The words teach us, when we have tried every remedy and know not what to do, to rest satisfied with the conviction that God is acquainted with our afflictions, and condescends to care for us, as Abraham said --"The Lord will provide." (Genesis 22:8.)”

God is Our Refuge

David turned to God because he knew God was his refuge. “I cry to you, O LORD; I say, ‘You are my refuge,
my portion in the land of the living’” (v. 5). The Hebrew word for refuge is “machaseh” which means hope, place of refuge, shelter, or trust (Strongs 4268). David put his trust and hope in God.

In the midst of your current trial, wherein do you place your hope and trust? It’s easy to turn to false refuges, to run and hide in metaphorical caves, or to seek out hope in created things rather than in the Creator. But those false refuges will only let us down. God alone is our place of safety. And it’s only in God that we find all we need. Like the Levites who had no land of their own, God is our portion; he is our inheritance. He is our Father and we are his children. We can call on him anytime and anywhere and know that he hears us. We can trust him to be our refuge and hope in times of trouble.

God Will Deliver

David ends his psalm with confidence. “The righteous will surround me, for you will deal bountifully with me” (v. 7). The armies that surrounded David were stronger than he was, but he knew God was stronger still. He knew and expected that God would deliver him. He knew he would once again be surrounded by God’s people.

Though the effects of the fall ravage our lives, though sin seems to have a grip on us, though evil appears to be winning, God is our deliverer. We only have to look to Christ and what he has accomplished for us in his life, death, resurrection, and ascension. He brought us from death to life. He redeemed us from slavery to sin. He made peace for us with God. He gave us the gift of his Spirit to change and transform us. Because of Christ, we too can face the hard circumstances of life with confidence, not in ourselves, but in who Christ is for us.

Dear friend, when life is hard, cry out to God in lament. Tell him your sorrows and fears. Ask for his help and deliverance. Put your hope and trust in him, for he is your refuge and portion.

When God Gives Us Himself

It’s no surprise that I love the Psalms. They give voice to the deepest cries of my heart. Every emotion I feel, every struggle I face, every heartache I endure— it seems like the psalmist has been there too. Like Calvin wrote, the Psalms mirror what’s in my heart.

Not only does the psalmist’s prose reflect my own emotions, it also points me to real help and hope. The Psalms remind me of what’s true. Unlike the self-help book’s of our time, the psalmist doesn’t tell me I can do it and that I have what it takes to live my best life, or that I simply need to do x, y, and z and then my life will be all I want it to be; rather, the Psalms point me to the source and fountain of my strength and hope: God himself.

In Psalm 94, the psalmist was in despair. The wicked were attacking God’s people. “They kill the widow and the sojourner, and murder the fatherless; and they say, “The LORD does not see; the God of Jacob does not perceive” (v. 6-7). The psalmist cried out to God for help and rescue. He sought the Lord as judge of all the earth.

In verses 16-22, the psalmist shows us it is God who meets us where we are with his presence and gives us just what we need.

“Who rises up for me against the wicked? Who stands up for me against evildoers? If the LORD had not been my help, my soul would soon have lived in the land of silence. When I thought, “My foot slips,” your steadfast love, O LORD, held me up. When the cares of my heart are many, your consolations cheer my soul. Can wicked rulers be allied with you, those who frame injustice by statute? They band together against the life of the righteous and condemn the innocent to death. But the LORD has become my stronghold, and my God the rock of my refuge.”

In all the psalmist’s troubles, it was God who met him where he was. Who God is, his very character, meets the psalmist’s needs. When the psalmist was in battle against the wicked, it was God who helped him. When he almost slipped, it was God who held him. When his heart was heavy, God was his hope and consolation. When the wicked attack the righteous, God is his refuge.

This psalm reminds me that when I am in trouble, when I am in despair, when I feel lost and alone, what I need most is God himself. But this is not usually what I pray for or what I seek. Instead, I usually turn to false substitutes to step in and rescue me. I turn to comforts like binge-watching a favorite television drama or mindlessly scrolling through social media or brewing another cup of coffee—anything I think will make my life better. Or I might look to strategies, methods, and rules to make my life work. I put my hope and trust in them to rescue me from my troubles. Rather than turning to God as my refuge, I seek refuge elsewhere.

But as Matthew Henry noted in his commentary on Psalm 94: “The world’s comforts give but little delight to the soul when it is hurried with melancholy thoughts; they are songs to a heavy heart. But God’s comforts will reach the soul, and not the fancy only, and will bring with them that peace and that pleasure which the smiles of the world cannot give and which the frowns of the world cannot take away.”

God is our portion and our greatest treasure. He supplies all that we need with himself. On this side of the cross, God met us in the person of Jesus Christ. He is God in the flesh. “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation” (Colossians 1:15). So when it seems like evil is winning the day, when life is troubling and hard, when our feet slip, or when our hearts are heavy, the Lord is with us. He meets us and gives us just what we need. For he himself is our help, our hope, and our refuge.

From "What if?" to "Even if"

Have you ever been in a conversation with a friend and started out talking about one thing and before you knew it, you were on a completely unrelated topic? You both paused and asked each other, "What were we even talking about?" 

It's easy in a conversation to follow trails that take us far from where we started. This is true in our thought life as well. One thought leads to another and then to another, just like the rabbit trails our conversations take. While such trails are often amusing in our conversations with friends, in our thought life, it's not always funny. Sometimes, our thoughts take us down dark trails that lead us far from the truth. One such dark trail is the "What if?" trail.

What If?...

Have you been down the "what if?" trail? It's the one that starts with a worrisome thought. That thought leads to another and before you know it, you are up all night thinking through all the potential catastrophe's that could happen. Here's a "what if?" trail I often traveled when my kids were younger: First, I heard my child cough in the other room. I immediately thought, "What if that's a cold?" Then I continued down the trail. "What if it becomes a bad cold? What if it triggers his asthma? What if we can't get the asthma under control? What if it's not a cold but an infection? This will be the sixth infection in eight months. What if the doctor decides he needs surgery? What if...?" And on it went until my stomach was twisted in knots.  

While this scenario was about a child being sick, in truth, anything we fear can drag us down the "what if?" trail. The loss of a job. Conflict in a relationship. A failure of some kind. The unknown future. Our minds zero in on those things and consider all the possible outcomes. We expect and anticipate the worst. We plot and plan ways to take control of what we fear might happen. Before we know it, the "what if?" trail has led us farther and farther away from joy and peace.

For those of us who often travel this trail, we hate its pull on us. We long to face the challenges and fears of life with confidence and hope. We desire to walk in the light of peace, rather than the darkness of fear. We want our "what if's?" to become "even if."

From "What if? to "Even If"

That's what I love about the Psalms. The writers of these Hebrew poems knew the worries and fears of life. They felt deep and profound fear and voiced those fears to God. They described their emotions in vivid words and metaphors. But they didn't end there. In the midst of their fears, the writers focused on who God is and what he has done. They reminded themselves that God alone was their hope and salvation. 

The truth is, worries and fears will be always be with us. We live in a fallen world where bad things happen. There are legitimate things to fear. But we are not without hope in the midst of those fears. We have an anchor to cling to. Our fears do not have the final say. Though we wander down the "what if?" trail, the light of God's truth leads us back.

In Psalm 27, David had enemies who wished him harm, "false witnesses have risen against me, and they breathe out violence" (v.12). For those who have read of David's life, we know that many enemies pursued him and wanted him dead—King Saul being one. David was on the run many times from those who hated him. He certainly knew fear. Yet this psalm is one of confidence in the God who is light and salvation. David wrote, "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?" (v.1).

In this psalm, David turned to God for help and hope. He cried out, "Hear, O LORD, when I cry aloud; be gracious to me and answer me! You have said, 'Seek my face.' My heart says to you, 'Your face, LORD, do I seek.' Hide not your face from me." (v. 7-9).

David had confidence in who God is. He knew God was his deliverer and the source of his salvation. He rested in God's goodness. Rather than "what if?" David asserted, "even if." "Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war arise against me, yet I will be confident" (v.3). He was confident in who God was for him, so much so, he could say, "even if." Even if his enemies gathered all around him, he would trust in the Lord.

This is true for our hearts as well. A Christian's confidence is grounded in who God is and not in who we are. Our confidence in the midst of fear isn't about our own strength or our own wisdom. It's not about what we can do, but about what God has done. Out of his rich love and grace, God sent his Son to face our greatest fear—eternal separation from God. Jesus Christ bore our sins on the cross, redeemed us from our captivity, and brought us back into right relationship with God. As the Apostle Paul reminds us, if God can save you from your sins, how can he not help you with whatever is going on in your life right now? (see Romans 8:32). This grace is so amazing and so wondrous that it overwhelms fear. We can't help but respond in worship—even in the face of fearful circumstances. That's what David did: "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" (v. 6). The fearful circumstances in David's life didn't go away, but he knew God was for him and so he rejoiced. 

David had a holy fear of the Lord. He loved God. He enjoyed fellowship with him. His greatest treasure was being known by God. He sought shelter and safety in his presence. "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" (vv. 4-5). Because David was on the run, he could not go to the temple, the place of worship for God's people and the place of God's presence. On this side of the cross, because of Jesus, we have full and unhindered access to God. His presence is no longer in a temple on Mount Moriah, but within God's people. At all times and in all places, our God is with us. Isn't that amazing? The God of the universe, the One who flung the stars across the heavens, lives in our hearts. He will never leave us or forsake us. This truth gives us great courage in the face of our worries and fears.

Psalm 27 ends with David's encouragement, "Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD!" (v. 14) Generations waited the promised Messiah and their longing was fulfilled in Christ. Dear friends, let us wait on the Lord's deliverance from all our fears with courage. He is faithful; he will deliver us. He alone is our help and hope. He has proven himself over and over. We can trust him, so much so, that in Christ our "what if's?" become "even if."