Seeking the Lord’s Face - Psalm 27

Psalm 27 is a psalm of confidence and trust in the Lord, even while showing a few moments of uncertainty. King David begins with a confidant declaration of trust in the Lord, “The Lord is my light and salvation—whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid?” The question is rhetorical, meaning that David knows he doesn’t need to fear because the Lord is his light, a picture of life, hope, and well-being in the scriptures. The Jews regularly pictured those who are against God as being in darkness. David declares that he belongs to the Lord, his light is his stronghold, his fortress, his place of safety.

Because David belongs to the Lord, he’s not afraid of the wicked who are trying to take him down, even though their amies are powerful and fearsome. David chooses to trust in the Lord. “When the wicked advance against me to devour me…. Though an army besiege me… though war break out against me, even then I will be confidant.” Trust is a choice, especially when you’re being knocked around. We’re not in a time of war such as Ukraine or Gaza, yet we do find ourselves more and more at odds against the values of our culture as the moral and ethical paths of our culture are moving further away from what the Lord has given us in Scripture. Even basic concepts like love are often disagreed on. This has even led to conflict in our churches and this can, and has brought hurt.

In Bethel, we take what I call a compassionate conservative approach in following Jesus where we choose to trust that the way God reveals in Scripture to live by guides us into becoming the people God has created us to be; that God’s way leads to flourishing and health spiritually, emotionally, relationally, and in community. We seek to recognize the image of God in each person, remembering that God so loved the world that he sent his son Jesus so that whoever believes in him will experience eternal life. We remember that people matter to God and this shapes how we live with each other and in our communities.

David goes on and shares his heart’s desire, “One thing I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple.” People in David’s day believed that gods were limited in their power and influence to regional areas. David knows the Lord is Israel’s God, believing that the Lord’s power is greatest in the land of Israel, especially where his temple is. This helps us to understand his confidence in the Lord’s protection and ability to keep him safe, even if his enemies have advanced, and even surround Jerusalem. The ark of the covenant is in the tabernacle, the Lord is with David. I wonder if this psalm begins the desire in David to build the Lord a temple in response to who the Lord is as their God. David’s even looking forward to worshipping God with praise and sacrifices, even as his enemies surround him. The depth of David’s trust in the Lord is inspiring!

David is describing who the Lord is, expressing his trust and faith in the Lord, now in verse 7, David moves from talking about the Lord to talking to the Lord. “Hear my voice when I call, Lord; be merciful to me and answer me.” He knows the best place to go when he needs help is the Lord. David’s prayer is rooted in a deep trust he’s just shared with us. By first reminding himself of who the Lord is, the deeper David’s faith and trust grows. This shows us a basic principle of faith: the more we learn, study God’s story and history with us, reflect on who the Lord is, and remember his presence in our lives, the closer to God we find ourselves coming, the more confident we become in God and the deeper our trust grows. I have found that we then talk more to God, not just about God. God becomes more real to us.

Now David’s not looking to text God, send him an email, or leave him a voicemail, David seeks the Lord’s face, to come to him personally. As a king, David has seen how he’s impacted by people coming to him personally to plead their case, Jesus later tells a parable about a widow seeking justice who comes to the king personally instead of the judges, and she finds justice. In the same way David humbly seeks the Lord’s help. David listens to his heart, the place Scripture tells us our character is found, where our core identity lies. “My heart says of you, ‘Seek his face!’ Your face, Lord, I will seek.” In seeking the Lord’s face, David’s seeking his favour, blessing, and help. He knows he hasn’t earned it, yet he also knows that the Lord is the only one he can fully trust in his time of trouble and need.

Pastor Rebecca Jordan Heys writes, “When I am reminded of the larger reality of God’s loving control, I can face the smaller realities of fear and evil in the world around me and within my own self. I need to hear the words of Psalm 27: “The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?” So I ask God, “Are you in control?” This happens at many points along my faith journey because I am genuinely not sure of the answer. The chaos I face seems so powerful that I fear it may overwhelm me. When the psalmist cries out in confidence, “Whom shall I fear?” I want to reply, “I can think of a few things.” Other times that same prayer is more of a calm request for a reminder. Then I feel my spiritual feet more firmly underneath me, and I can join my voice to the psalmist’s: “Whom shall I fear?”

David asks the Lord to not hide his face or reject him, yet David relies on the Lord’s character and commitment to him and to Israel, “Though my father and mother forsake me, the Lord will receive me.” In a family-based culture, rejection by parents and family is one of their greatest fears, and yet David trusts. Trust is easy in good times, much harder when things are hard. Trust is a choice you make. It used to be that trust was given and developed through relationships, today we’re both more and less trusting. We easily trust online news and bloggers and personalities, while at the same time often expressing much less trust in people around us with whom we have the ability to actually have relationships with. Trust is often easily given to those online because they tickle our ears with what we already believe. People who know us don’t always tickle our ears, and because we don’t want to be told something different from what we’ve decided to believe, we withhold our trust.

David does the opposite. Instead of asking God to confirm his beliefs, David turns to the Lord and asks, “Teach me your way, Lord; lead me in a straight path because of my oppressors.” David is willing to change what he believes, give up what he wants in order to be guided and shaped by God. The Jews see the Ten Commandments as a gift because God’s showing them exactly who they’re called to be, what they’re called to believe, no guessing required. Jesus calls us to do the same, telling us that he’s “the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” To see the Father’s face, we choose to follow Jesus, trusting his way as the path to life. Following Jesus is a choice to trust him through obedience. Jesus challenges us to trust him when he tells us, “If you love me, you will keep my commands.” Jesus earned our trust on the cross where he takes our sin on himself, when he chooses the path of forgiveness and grace, even forgiving all those who placed him on the cross.

David’s faith is focused on living in this world, not escaping to heaven, “I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.” Jesus teaches us the same focus, teaching us how to live with trust in God and how to live with each other as image-bearers of God. This takes trust. David ends by reminding himself “to wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart.” Patience, endurance, and trust can be hard at times, but knowing who you place your trust in helps you to go through life in strength and hope.

Our prayers are important to God, this is why we’ve been given the psalms. Prayers don’t always get answered right away. Sometimes we’re called to wait, to be strong, to trust in who God is, because we know his commitment to us is found in Jesus. While waiting can be hard, especially in a culture that values instant gratification, David shows us the power of trusting and talking to our God regularly in a spirit of worship.