"I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the
goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait on the LORD: be of good
courage, and He shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD"
(Psalm 27:13-14).
These two verses are so precious. They acknowledge the very
realistic scenario of being overwhelmed, even at the point of despairing and
fainting, but they also give an anchor to hold onto. They offer hope that God
can turn the condition of the heart - not always the outward circumstances, but
certainly the inner turmoil. Like every precious verse, these verses have a
context, and their consolation is best appreciated by examining that context.
Verses that express such hope and confidence almost of
necessity come in a situation where that hope is desperately needed. Verses 1-3
reveal David's condition. He was facing war, wicked enemies that wanted to
devour him, and a host that was encamped against him. He was alone (or nearly
so) with an entire army of spiteful enemies besieging him. He was the leader, responsible
to guide others in a war he did not ask for. David's situation could be
summarized by the words "threat" and "attack."
The normal human response to such situations would be fear,
but David did not fear. Instead, he said things like "whom shall I fear,"
"of whom shall I be afraid," "my heart shall not fear," and
"I will be confident." David's response could be summarized with the
word "confidence."
David possessed such confidence is his very difficult
circumstance because he remembered who God is and what God does. His confidence
was placed in Someone far greater than himself. He called God his light, his
salvation, and the strength of his life. He remembered that in the past, God had
made his enemies stumble and fall. Those past attacks were perhaps by smaller
groups, but David recognized that the size of the group didn’t matter. God could
effectively deal with any threat, past, present, or future, regardless of its
size. David realized that God was his defender.
In the midst of his difficulty, David's desire was to be
with God in His temple. He wanted to be able to behold the beauty of God, to
enquire of Him, to offer sacrifices and sing
praises to Him. This desire was also based on considering how wonderful his God
was. David thought about God as an effective help, as having hidden him from
danger, of setting him in a safe refuge. David especially wanted to praise his
wonderful God for His protection. While protection had happened in the past,
David had confidence that additional instances of protection would happen in
the future.
So far, David has calmly expressed great confidence in God,
but in verses 7-10, he appears to be rather desperate and alarmed. His requests
pile up on top of each other: hear, have mercy, answer, hide not thy face, put
not thy servant away, leave me not, neither forsake me. David cries out,
apparently desperate and frazzled, but an examination of these verses actually
reveals otherwise. He was crying out to God only because he expected God to
hear and answer him. He was able to expect God's deliverance because he was
responding in obedience to what God had instructed him to do. God called David
to seek His face, and David immediately vowed from his heart to do so. David
prayed for God's faithful nearness with the remembrance that God had been his
help in the past. David was confident in God's help, knowing it was even more
sure than the help of a father or mother during a difficult time.
In the final section, David asks for two things. He first
asks God to teach, lead, and direct so he can see clearly where to go to avoid his
enemies. Second, he asks God to deliver and protect him, not delivering him to
the false witnesses and others who threaten him. David's attitude throughout
the psalm is that of confidence that God would answer his requests.
His confidence, which emerges again in vs. 13-14, does at
times threaten to waver; his natural inclination was toward fainting. With so
many threats around him, it is no wonder that he wanted to faint. He didn't
though, and for one reason: he believed he would again see God’s goodness. He knew
God was good, and he resolutely believed that God would show him that good. Without
that thought as his anchor, he would have been without hope, but because of
that belief, he could speak with confidence.
In the final verse, David directs a charge to other people,
including us. David’s heartfelt sermon, prepared in his life and reinforced by
his experience is "Wait on God." Expect His answer. Have courage, and
God will strengthen your wavering heart. Without confidence in God’s goodness, we
will faint. We must believe that God will show His goodness. If we have waited
a long time and still don’t see it, we must listen to David’s plea. Wait. Keep
waiting. Keep expecting. There is no question that God WILL show His goodness;
the only question is WHEN.
In whatever situation or difficulty we currently find
ourselves in, we can have confidence in God. In any situation that is likely or
even possible to happen, God can deliver. Our imaginations sometimes run wild
about what could happen, and God can still handle all of those situations. In
fact, our future might even hold scenarios that we could not and would not
imagine, and God can handle every one of those situations, too. We can be confident
in Him.
If you are attacked or neglected, if you are fainting or
despairing, remember that a good and almighty God is watching over you. God
will never forsake you, and He can give you all the help you need. Remember,
what you do today matters for eternity, and it is our good God that enables you
to serve Him even in the face of difficulty. Be confident in His goodness.
Love in Christ,
Peggy Holtmember at Open Door Baptist Church in Lebanon, PA
www.pressingontohigherground.blogspot.com
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