by Karin Pantleon
Psalm 27
1The 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?
2When evildoers assail me to devour my flesh— my adversaries and foes— they shall stumble and fall.
3Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war rise up against me, yet I will be confident.
4One 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.
5For 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.
6Now 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.
7Hear, O Lord, when I cry aloud, be gracious to me and answer me!
8“Come,” my heart says, “seek his face!” Your face, Lord, do I seek.
9Do 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!
10If my father and mother forsake me, the Lord will take me up.
11Teach me your way, O Lord, and lead me on a level path because of my enemies.
12Do not give me up to the will of my adversaries, for false witnesses have risen against me, and they are breathing out violence.
13I believe that I shall see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.
14Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!
The tone of Psalm 27 changes a few times, but begins and end with trust. The Psalmist, David, was open and receptive to God’s teaching, trusting to lead him in the right direction, i.e. a level path, as a faithful servant. We all must be willing to be led by God and willing to move from where we are in order to follow Jesus and do God’s will. However, how do we know what path God is trying to lead us on? I know this is something I have often thought about. At any given time, each of us is dealing with our own struggles and the pandemic has certainly added another level of fear and doubts. The good news is that God is the stronghold of each of our lives. He has a plan for our lives to give us a future and hope.
Advent is a time for waiting so trust in the Lord and wait for his goodness each day.
Amen!