Psalm 27:1-13; 56:3-4
David was a good example of a person who did something great for the Lord even while he was in dire situations. He was a giant slayer, he defeated Goliath with a mere sling. David was also a conquering king. In his teen years, he was anointed king of Israel. He was the youngest son of Jesse, and unlikely to be a conquering king. He was not born into royalty. But the Lord choses the weak to accomplish great things. And this was to demonstrate His sovereignty and great power, so much so that the unlikely king, was later able to take the territories that King Saul lost to Israel’s enemies. But in the end, it’s all about God.
Realizing this, David made God his top priority. He focused his energy on the One who can really make things happen. When God calls people to do something great, He will be there to help them accomplish it, especially when they are in a terrible situation.
1. God can use dire situations to draw us to Him in prayer.
“1 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? 2 When the wicked advance against me to devour me, it is my enemies and my foes who will stumble and fall. 3 Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then I will be confident.” Psalm 27:1-3 NIV
· A host of enemies has advanced to David’s position and has threatened his life.
· The terrible things that would normally make a person fearful and run, David used to seek God for help.
· David realized God is his only hope, the Light to His dark situation.
· God as light, can bring wisdom to help us navigate safely through problems.
“3 When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. 4 In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust and am not afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?” Psalm 56:3-4, NIV.
· Fear drove David to trust the Lord.
· For some, when negative emotions gripped their hearts, people behave unreasonably and irrationally.
· The more we see trouble, the more we press the word of God to our heart, that you may trust the ways of God.
2. Grow in the knowledge of God to grow confidence in Him.
“4 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.” Psalm 27:4, NIV
· The house of the Lord in this verse does not refer to God’s Temple that was built by Solomon, since it was not built yet in this psalm.
· The top priority in life for David, was to be in the presence of the Lord forever.
· Knowing God deeply gave him confidence in God’s abilities.
· The intellectual pursuit of God is done in a personal and most cherished way.
· This helped him to become wise and emotionally stable and defeated his enemies.
3. Do not let anything get in the way of worship.
“Then my head will be exalted above the enemies who surround me;at his sacred tent I will sacrifice with shouts of joy;I will sing and make music to the Lord… “13 I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.” Psalm 27:6, 13, NIV.
· Worship is about joyfully declaring God’s worth, celebrating His nature, His Work and praising Him.
· Worship of the Lord helps us to take our eyes off the temporal things and let us see the eternal things.
· Do not let troubles stop you from worshipping the Lord.
· Great things happen when we come together to ascribe to the Lord His greatness, and when we celebrate His goodness, we are drawn in His presence.