meditationsfrompsalm27pdf.pdf |
The Bible study, "Meditations from Psalm 27" is available for download below. Feel free to download and share.
0 Comments
Goodness, Courage, and Strength – verses 13,14
“I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. 14Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.” (Psalm 27:13,14) “I had fainted, unless…” How many times I have felt this way, ready to faint and give up. Galatians 6:9 says, “And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.” But what could keep me from fainting? Psalm 27:13 goes on to say, “unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.” God’s goodness gives me the strength to go on and not to faint. I must believe in it, see it and dwell on it. God is good and that goodness is my refreshment. God’s goodness gives me courage and fortitude. Verse 14 says, “Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.” God will answer and strengthen me when I call on Him, “In the day when I cried thou answeredst me, and strengthenedst me with strength in my soul.”(Psalm 138:3) God will strengthen me and keep me from fainting if I wait on Him. “But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” (Isaiah 40:31) Strength in the inner man or strength in my soul is available to me through Christ’s riches in glory. It is His to give, and He will gladly give it. “That He would grant you according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man.” (Ephesians 3:16) “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.” (Ephesians 6:10) “Lord, help me to see Your goodness today, to believe in it, and to think on it. This will give me courage to wait. Waiting on You will give me strength to run and walk and not to faint. It will restore me and take away my weariness. Help me see Your goodness. Help me to call on You. And help me to wait as You fill my heart with courage and strength. In Jesus’ name, Amen.” Turn Again to the Lord “Deliver me not over unto the will of mine enemies: for false witnesses are risen up against me, and such as breathe out cruelty.” (Psalm 27:12)
Now God is teaching me. I am waiting on Him to direct me and lead me in a plain path. It is a path of safety because He walks before me in it, and promises never to leave me or forsake me. But I am afraid. Foes are all around me. Even if there is no physical enemy falsely accusing me of wrong-doing or breathing out threatening against me, there is Satan, the accuser of the brethren, who accuses me before God day and night. (Revelation 12:10) Of course, God the Father does not see any of the sins whereof Satan accuses me because I am covered with the righteousness of His Son Jesus Christ. But Satan makes sure I hear some of these accusations. The remembrance of them brings doubt, and Satan laughs in cruel glee. “Lord, I am surrounded by those that hate my soul. Their will is to destroy me. Deliver me not over to them. They are cruel liars, and I am afraid. You are good and all powerful. Let me see Your deliverance today, please. In Jesus’ name, Amen.” Turn Again to the Lord Teach Me – verse 11
I have cried to the Lord and pleaded for mercy and an answer to my prayer. I have sought the LORD’s face and entreated Him. Now it is time to be still and to listen to what He has to say. “Teach me thy way, O LORD, and lead me in a plain path, because of mine enemies.” (Psalm 27:11) Teach me Thy way, O LORD, not the way I think will work best, but Thy way. Proverbs 3:5 says, “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.” The Lord will teach the way. He will guide and give direction. It will be His way, not a way I figured out or a way that “looks good” to me. After the Lord teaches the way, He will show me how to walk in it, “Lead me in a plain path.” He will go before and lead the way and direct each step. “In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” (Proverbs 3:6) This is a promise. If I acknowledge God in all my ways, He will direct my paths. He will lead me in a plain path. He will give clear and specific directions. That is the way to safety and deliverance. “Lead me in a plain path because of mine enemies.” (Psalm 27:11b) “7Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil. 8It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones.” (Proverbs 3:7,8) If I follow the path the LORD leads and not think I know a better way; if I fear the LORD and not my enemies, the Lord will show me the path away from evil. He will preserve me. He will give me health (life) and direct me away from danger and death. “Lord, teach me today and lead me. Help me to trust You and follow Your way. Even if Your way does not make sense to me, help me to trust You and not follow in the way that looks better to me, not follow what I think is the way out. Help me trust You to lead me in the way to health and deliverance, away from the way of danger and death. In Jesus’ name, Amen.” Turn Again to the Lord My Cry – Psalm 27: 7-10
“Hear, O LORD, when I cry with my voice: have mercy also upon me, and answer me.” (Psalm 27:7) I have fled to my Savior for refuge. He has hidden me, and I am dwelling in His secret place. I have sung my praise and offered my sacrifice of joy. Now I can cry to the Lord and expect Him to have mercy on me and answer me. Mercy. I am in a serious situation. Trouble is all around. Foes have come upon me. It does not look like there is any way out. Hope seems to be all gone. Yet, God is there to have mercy and pull me out of trouble and subdue my enemies. “When thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face, LORD, will I seek.” (verse 8) When God says, “Seek my face,” that command and invitation comes with a promise. “And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.” (Jeremiah 29:13) “My heart said… Thy face, LORD, will I seek.” And when I seek Him, He will be found of me, and He will have mercy on me. “Hide not thy face far from me; put not thy servant away in anger: thou hast been my help; leave me not, neither forsake me, O God of my salvation.” (verse 9) Sometimes God seems far away, very far away. I pray and pray and nothing seems to be happening. Has God abandoned me because He is angry? He has been my help in the past. Where is He now? “O God, You are my salvation. Do not leave me or forsake me now!” Blessed Assurance “When my father and my mother forsake me, then the LORD will take me up.” (verse 10) God will not forsake me. Though all others turn their back on me; though even my own mother and father forsake me, God will never forsake me. He will take me up. “He hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” (Hebrews 13:5b) “Father, help me today to remember You are always near. Though it may feel like You are far away and have abandoned me, You have not. If I seek You, You will be found of me. You will answer my prayer and have mercy on me. You will never leave me nor forsake me. Thank You, Jesus. Thank You, Father. In Jesus’ name, Amen.” Turn Again to the Lord The Uplifting – verse 6
“And now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me: therefore will I offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy; I will sing, yea, I will sing praises unto the LORD.” (Psalm 27:6) As I dwell in God’s secret place and He hides me in His pavilion in time of trouble, I will watch Him bring victory. I hide and abide. He lifts me up. Those that seek to destroy me will find that they cannot win because they are not fighting against me. “But thou, O LORD, art a shield for me; my glory, and the lifter up of mine head.” (Psalm 3:3) My enemies cannot win because I am hidden in God. They are fighting against God, and no one can fight against God and win. The realization of this should bring me joy, “therefore will I offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy.” Why sacrifices? Well, joy on my part must be by faith. At this time, the battle is still raging, and I am still hidden away in the secret place. But God has spoken. Joy comes in believing His word. Faith always comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. “By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.” (Hebrews 13:15) What is one outward evidence of the sacrifice of joy I offer up to my God? “I will sing, yea, I will sing praises unto the LORD.” (See Psalm 27:6b) “Dear Father, help me believe Your word and have faith in it today. Fill my heart with a song that I can offer up to You in praise. In Jesus’ name, Amen.” Turn Again to the Lord God’s Presence – verse 4
“One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after: That I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life.” Why? “To behold the beauty of the LORD, and To enquire in his temple.” My desire should have one focus – to know God, to seek after Him and to dwell in His house (in His presence). How long? All the days of my life. This is abiding in the Lord. Jesus explains more about it in John 15:4. “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.” I must set my focus to abide in Christ. Then I will be able to pray, have my prayers answered, and see the beauty of the Lord. John 15:7 says, “If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.” Prayer and answered prayer result from setting my focus on abiding in Christ. The beauty and the glory, the Father’s glory – “Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.” (John 15:8) “As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love.” (John 15:9) Jesus’ love is mine, and I experience this love in its fullness as I abide in Him. How do I Abide in Jesus’ Love? “My words abide in you,” says John 15:7. Jesus’ words must abide in my heart, And I must obey this word. “If ye keep my commandments…” (See verse 10) If I obey, then what? “Ye shall abide in my love.” Then I will abide in Jesus’ love. Jesus set an example of obedience for me, “even as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love.” The result of abiding in Christ, dwelling in God’s house (presence) is JOY. “These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.” (John 15:11) Turn Again to the Lord Confidence – verses 2 and 3
“When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell.” (Psalm 27:2) God is my strength (See verse 1), all I need for every day. He is also my confidence. The wicked, enemies and foes, may come and attack me. These may be physical enemies who hate me for some reason or who hate the cause of Christ. They may also be spiritual enemies, powers of darkness that wage war against the soul. But they are no match for the power of God. When they meet with His power, they will stumble and fall. “Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident.” (Psalm 27:3) Though it be a whole host that comes against me, they are still no match for God. In Exodus chapter twelve, the Bible tells how the Lord went through the land of Egypt. At midnight the Lord smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt. “There was not an house where there was not one dead.” (See verses 29,30) In one night, in one hour of the night, the Lord took care of Israel’s enemies. Surely He can do that for me. In II Chronicles 20, an host came against Jehoshaphat and the people of Judah to make war. War rose against them. They cried to God and praised the LORD God of Israel with a loud voice. In the morning, the multitude of the enemy were all dead bodies fallen to the earth. None escaped. Jehoshaphat and the people of Judah had confidence in God. Though all the host of evil make war against me, I can have confidence in God. “Lord, help me to praise You today and to have confidence in You, even when the enemies of my soul come upon me to make me afraid. In Jesus’ name, Amen.” Turn Again to the Lord Light, Salvation, and Strength
Meditations from Psalm 27, verse one. “The LORD is my light…” I have always been scared of the dark. “Lord, help me remember, You are my light no matter how dark it is – physically or in life in general." “And my salvation” For now and eternity. “Whom shall I fear?” As long as I am walking carefully with my Lord, I do not need to be afraid of anybody. “The LORD is the strength of my life;” Strength – physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. God will give me as much strength as I need. “Of whom shall I be afraid?” Strength to do the smallest task or strength to meet the most formidable foe. If God only gives a little strength today, I do not need to borrow strength for what seems like it will be a bigger task tomorrow. God has given sufficient strength for today and He will give enough for tomorrow when it comes. I do not have to be afraid of tomorrow or of who may be in my tomorrow because God is already there. Turn Again to the Lord |
AuthorI am a concerned citizen of the United States of America. And I am a Christian who believes in salvation by grace through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. I pray this blog will honor the Lord.
My people ask counsel at their stocks, and their staff declareth unto them: for the spirit of whoredoms hath caused them to err, and they have gone a whoring from under their God. Hosea 4:12
Archives
October 2022
Categories |