Psalm 27

by Dr. Ann Pearson on June 29, 2020

Psalm 27 is a prayer/poem attributed to King David. It is a cry for help in a time of great distress, a renewed vow of faithfulness to God and ultimately a statement of belief in His power and complete trust in the protection that only God can provide.

“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?” Psalm 27:1

In verse 1 God is described as our Hope, Salvation and the Light that is needed to live. We as children of God need to come and enter into His Light and put our confidence in Him. He is our strength and our protector, the Light and Salvation for our lives.

“Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say on the Lord.” Psalm 27:14

The counsel that God is giving us in verse 14 is spoken in the context of suffering, sorrow and difficulty. At any time of our lives when there is suffering it is so hard to wait.

But it is in this time, when God’s purposes are being hid from our eyes and it seems that God is leading us in a way that is contrary to His promises. We desire relief. But that relief seems delayed and there seems to be no end to this moment of trial. And then fear begins to surround us and we are tempted to become bitter, impatient, or to take matters into our own hands in desperation.

This verse encourages us to have courage and believe God will strengthen us in our time of uncertainty and brokenness. God is with us and His promises are unwavering. He repeats once again to wait, expressing the importance of His words.

Waiting on the Lord is an intense, spiritual activity that God’s children are invited to do with Him. It means that you believe that God will fulfill His promises and He will supply you with the grace that you need. It is the grace of patience.

Waiting on the Lord is also abiding in His holy will. It is trusting in God’s time and in God’s way and believing that the Lord is good.

Waiting on the Lord is a rich, biblical truth. It means, first of all, that we become silent before God.

“My soul in silence waits for God, my Savior He has proved.” Psalm 130:5

To wait is to confess that I lack wisdom.

Our Heavenly Father is someone who knows all, is above all and can be all things for all people. Your Father is telling you to lean on His shoulders. He will be your Light and Salvation. We are to wait and trust in Him. God sent His Son to be the living witness for us. Hope has a name and the name is Jesus.

During these days of confusion and chaos the parallel can be much like a tilt a whirl ride where everything is changing directions, things are upside down. We as followers of Jesus are looking for something solid, something to be our anchor. Scripture reminds us in 2 Corinthians 5:7 “For we live by faith, not by sight.” So many times we cannot see the big picture and we are called to trust in His plan.

God and Jesus have always been beside you and have professed saying they will never leave you or forsake you. Our Heavenly Father created this world and made it for good. Jesus came and walked among us to show the human side of God and his ability to understand our joys and struggles. The Holy Spirit remains inside us so we are never alone.

Our part is to believe that Our Heavenly Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit are here for each of us. God is greater than all circumstances and situations and His provisions are unmatched by all others.

This is the day the Lord hath made; Let us rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 118:24

Prayer:

Gracious and loving Father, You are a Father who has been with us in days past, is with us in days present and will be with us in the days of our future. You bring light into this world of darkness and hope in the midst of chaos. Our prayer is we can surrender our lives in obedience to You. You have told us many times that You will take care of us and handle all our problems. May our faith in You be the anchor in our lives. In Christ Holy Name, Amen

My love and prayers,

Ann

About the Author

Dr. Ann Pearson

Ann graduated from the University of Alabama with a B.S. in Consumer Economics and household Equipment. She has a Masters in Science in Grief Counseling and Thanatology as well as a Doctorate in Philosophy of Pastoral Counseling and Thanatology from Breyer State University.

Her early professional career was spent working with the Tennessee Valley Authority in Knoxville, helping families of low income; working for the City of Charlotte Public Works Dept. and as a preschool teacher in Knoxville, Tennessee, Mobile and Fairhope AL. Ann has lived in Fairhope since 1986 where she immediately began serving in the youth department of Fairhope UMC. She joined the staff in 1990 as Youth Director, serving twice in this position and was also the interim Director of Children and Family Ministries for two years here! Ann had dual positions here at Fairhope UMC as Youth Director and Director of Caring Ministries which led to her becoming the full time Director of Caring Ministries in 2000. Ann loves her church family and appreciates the humble opportunity to be serving in this community. Ann has 2 children: daughter, Allison (Ryan) and son, Brad (Kate) and four granddaughters between the two! You will come to know she is passionate about University of Alabama Football, Grayton Beach and taking care of the people in this community by offering love, peace and God’s grace.

return to Daily Devotionals