Psalm 27
Psalm 27
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 the evildoers assail me
to devour my flesh -
my adversaries and foes -
they shall stumble and fall.
Though an army encamp against me,
my heart shall not fear;
though war rise up against me,
yet I will be confident.
One thing I asked of the Lord,
that will I seek after:
to live in the house of the Lord
all the days of my life,
to behold 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 set me high on a rock.
Now my head is 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.
Hear, O Lord, when I cry aloud,
be gracious to me and answer me!
"Come" my heart says, "seek his face!"
Your face, O Lord, do I seek.
Do not hide your face from me.
Do not turn your servant away in anger,
you who have been my help.
Do not cast me off, do not forsake me,
O God of my salvation!
If my father and mother forsake me,
the Lord will take me up.
Teach me your way, O Lord,
and lead me on a level path
because of my enemies.
Do not give me up to the will of my adversaries,
for false witnesses have risen against me,
and they are breathing out violence.
I believe that I shall see the goodness
of the Lord in the land of the living.
Wait for the Lord;
be strong, and let your heart take courage;
wait for the Lord!
I am a first grade teacher; but these days I find myself being the student. Instead of telling students to be still, wait their turn, and listen - I now find myself being told the same thing.
I want a level path ahead of me, I crave His peace and comfort daily. But what a joy to know that He will take me up no matter what. No matter the pain in this world He will lead me and guide me when I seek Him first.
I am learning every day to seek Him first. Funny how I thought that was something I already knew to do. But I think that it is something that must be chosen every day, every hour: to choose Him and abide in Him rather than buy into the chaos of this world.
He makes me strong when I am weak (2 Corinthians 12:10). But without recognizing my own human weaknesses I fail to seek out His strength. When I try to control things, when I consume myself with worries and fears instead of resting in His peace - I rob myself of His courage in my life. When I look to this world first I miss out on His eternal promises. When I fail to be still and take delight in Him, I do nothing but hurt myself.
These are reminders that I no longer thought I needed. I accepted Christ over ten years ago; in my naive mind I think I presumed I would always find it easy to put Him first. I thought I would always seek Him.
But believers must be vigilant. This world and its heartbreak are enticing. This pandemic threatens to overwhelm us with worry, hopelessness and grief. How important it is to be still in these times. How important it is to listen and wait for the Lord. How important it is to acknowledge our failings and take courage in Christ alone.
Without admitting our faults, we cannot cling to His strength. Without repentance, we cannot accept His grace. Without seeking Him, we succumb to the horrors of this world.
I am thankful to be His student. I need to remember that I am always a student. I pray that I continue to pursue Him as He first pursued me. I pray that this Great Pause causes me to pause every day, every moment and be still in Him.
Worries may threaten me, but He grants me courage when I seek Him.
Fear may shake me, but He provides me strength when I seek Him.
Grief may overwhelm me, but He promises me hope when I seek Him.
Truly, I believe Him when He says, you will seek me and find me when you search for me with all your heart (Jeremiah 29:13).
This is a lesson hard-learned; a lesson that I adopted as a new believer and allowed complacency to lead me astray. But this time of stillness has brought about a stronger, more real relationship with Him. He has granted me courage, strength, hope and peace as I seek Him each day. When my thoughts turn to the tragedy of this world I now take heart in Him. I be still, wait my turn and listen.
I take comfort in His grace as He continues to teach me. I embrace His love for me and know that whatever happens He is with me. I will wait on the Lord and He will always come through for me because He is faithful. He is right here, He is walking me through this very uncertain time. He has proven Himself faithful to me over and over again.
When the world keeps telling us to wait - to wait for tests, to wait for money, to wait for healing - He promises hope for us right now. Unlike this world and its waiting games, when we wait in the Lord, He forgives us, sustains us and teaches us as our Lord and Savior. What an empowering thing, to be taught by the Maker of all things. How incredible to be loved by the King of Glory. How inspiring to be molded by His spirit as we walk together embracing the lessons found in every day.
No matter what lessons await me, I will be strong and take courage; I will wait for the Lord because I trust Him. He is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear?
salvation, whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life;
of whom shall I be afraid?
When the evildoers assail me
to devour my flesh -
my adversaries and foes -
they shall stumble and fall.
Though an army encamp against me,
my heart shall not fear;
though war rise up against me,
yet I will be confident.
One thing I asked of the Lord,
that will I seek after:
to live in the house of the Lord
all the days of my life,
to behold 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 set me high on a rock.
Now my head is 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.
Hear, O Lord, when I cry aloud,
be gracious to me and answer me!
"Come" my heart says, "seek his face!"
Your face, O Lord, do I seek.
Do not hide your face from me.
Do not turn your servant away in anger,
you who have been my help.
Do not cast me off, do not forsake me,
O God of my salvation!
If my father and mother forsake me,
the Lord will take me up.
Teach me your way, O Lord,
and lead me on a level path
because of my enemies.
Do not give me up to the will of my adversaries,
for false witnesses have risen against me,
and they are breathing out violence.
I believe that I shall see the goodness
of the Lord in the land of the living.
Wait for the Lord;
be strong, and let your heart take courage;
wait for the Lord!
I am a first grade teacher; but these days I find myself being the student. Instead of telling students to be still, wait their turn, and listen - I now find myself being told the same thing.
I want a level path ahead of me, I crave His peace and comfort daily. But what a joy to know that He will take me up no matter what. No matter the pain in this world He will lead me and guide me when I seek Him first.
I am learning every day to seek Him first. Funny how I thought that was something I already knew to do. But I think that it is something that must be chosen every day, every hour: to choose Him and abide in Him rather than buy into the chaos of this world.
He makes me strong when I am weak (2 Corinthians 12:10). But without recognizing my own human weaknesses I fail to seek out His strength. When I try to control things, when I consume myself with worries and fears instead of resting in His peace - I rob myself of His courage in my life. When I look to this world first I miss out on His eternal promises. When I fail to be still and take delight in Him, I do nothing but hurt myself.
These are reminders that I no longer thought I needed. I accepted Christ over ten years ago; in my naive mind I think I presumed I would always find it easy to put Him first. I thought I would always seek Him.
But believers must be vigilant. This world and its heartbreak are enticing. This pandemic threatens to overwhelm us with worry, hopelessness and grief. How important it is to be still in these times. How important it is to listen and wait for the Lord. How important it is to acknowledge our failings and take courage in Christ alone.
Without admitting our faults, we cannot cling to His strength. Without repentance, we cannot accept His grace. Without seeking Him, we succumb to the horrors of this world.
I am thankful to be His student. I need to remember that I am always a student. I pray that I continue to pursue Him as He first pursued me. I pray that this Great Pause causes me to pause every day, every moment and be still in Him.
Worries may threaten me, but He grants me courage when I seek Him.
Fear may shake me, but He provides me strength when I seek Him.
Grief may overwhelm me, but He promises me hope when I seek Him.
Truly, I believe Him when He says, you will seek me and find me when you search for me with all your heart (Jeremiah 29:13).
This is a lesson hard-learned; a lesson that I adopted as a new believer and allowed complacency to lead me astray. But this time of stillness has brought about a stronger, more real relationship with Him. He has granted me courage, strength, hope and peace as I seek Him each day. When my thoughts turn to the tragedy of this world I now take heart in Him. I be still, wait my turn and listen.
I take comfort in His grace as He continues to teach me. I embrace His love for me and know that whatever happens He is with me. I will wait on the Lord and He will always come through for me because He is faithful. He is right here, He is walking me through this very uncertain time. He has proven Himself faithful to me over and over again.
When the world keeps telling us to wait - to wait for tests, to wait for money, to wait for healing - He promises hope for us right now. Unlike this world and its waiting games, when we wait in the Lord, He forgives us, sustains us and teaches us as our Lord and Savior. What an empowering thing, to be taught by the Maker of all things. How incredible to be loved by the King of Glory. How inspiring to be molded by His spirit as we walk together embracing the lessons found in every day.
No matter what lessons await me, I will be strong and take courage; I will wait for the Lord because I trust Him. He is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear?
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