Thoughts for the Day

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....?

Hear, O Lord, when I cry aloud,
be gracious to me and answer me!
‘Come,’ my heart says, ‘seek his face!’
Your face, Lord, do I seek.
Do not hide your face from me....

Wait for the Lord;
be strong, and let your heart take courage;
wait for the Lord!

(Church in Wales Lectionary, New Revised Standard Version)

Thoughts

It is possible that Psalm 27 was originally two psalms that have been put together, but here I have treated it as one and used verses from the beginning and end of the Psalm. We don't know what the circumstances were that called King David to write these words, but from experience he knows that God has got his back and he encourages us to turn to God when life is difficult, waiting with humility for Him to answer.

Charles Haddon Spurgeon was an Baptist preacher in the 19th century, and has been called the 'Prince of Preachers'. In writing about waiting on the Lord, he said the following: "Wait at his door with prayer; wait at his foot with humility; wait at his table with service; wait at his window with expectancy." We see that for him, as for King David, waiting on the Lord is not really a passive thing where we hang around hoping He will do something to sort out our problem. When we seek His help - that is, when we actively seek His help - He meets us halfway and strengthens us.

If we feel weak and helpless, then we are not waiting on the Lord. When we seek Him and rely on Him, instead of trying to go it alone, the Lord will sustain us to cope with whatever is troubling us.

Lord God,
when problems challenge us,
and we feel lonely and lost,
give us the confidence to seek You out
and to wait on You.
May we turn to You first
and learn to trust You
with all the things that trouble us.
Amen.