Psalm 27 “The Heart of a Man of Faith”

"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 evildoers assail me
to eat up my flesh,
my adversaries and foes,
it is they who stumble and fall.
Though an army encamp against me,
my heart shall not fear;
though war arise against me,
yet I will be confident.
One thing have I asked of the LORD,
that will I seek after:
that I may dwell in the house of the LORD
all the days of my life,
to gaze upon 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 lift me high upon a rock.
And now my head shall be 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!
You have said, “Seek my face.”
My heart says to you,
“Your face, LORD, do I seek.” Psalms 27:1-8

If you were to search your heart what is the depths of it? We all have within us the place which we would title “The Depths of Our Heart.” And truly I believe if we search deep enough, we will find the “One Thing” there which is the “center” of everything else. Meaning, the center which is at the heart of the heart, and which compels all that we “truly” believe, and in believing, we think, feel, and act upon. So, what is your “One Thing” you long for? What do you truly “want!”?

In Psalm 27 the author, which is at least attributed to king David, expresses his heart. You can imagine what he is fighting against and fighting for. He is “longing” in the depths of his heart for something. And it is clear he is “voicing” the core of his heart. He is voicing his fears, his convictions, his perspective, or worldview, but most of all, he is expressing his FAITH.

If I could express the depths of my heart. Meaning, what is at the heart of my heart. And if my most intimate prayers come from the depths of my heart, which they must. Then this Psalm represents my prayer life like nothing else in the universe does. This Psalm is my “inner-self” expressed on paper. This Psalm is why I live. Am I boasting? If I am, it is “in the LORD.” Why I do not boast in myself is because …well, just let me summarize it like this, fear/insecurity. There, that is me apart from my Father in heaven. Apart from the security which is found in my identity as a beloved son of God, I would rather die right here right now. I would not want to breathe another breath on this planet. Truly, there is no greater gift and blessing than to “have to” rely on the Lord for all things pertaining to daily life. For I see Christians striving, stressing, worrying, fearing, working, building, hurrying, trying, fighting, for … this world and the acceptance of, and their wealth, worth, and value in, this foreign land which is not their home. If I thought for one moment that my day depended on me in “any form” I would not live. You may think I am exaggerating some. Trust me, I am not. If I cannot depend literally on the Lord watching over, taking care of, directing, controlling, enfolding, providing, supplying my every need, then I don’t know how to live. Most people would not live with me. Most people could not live with me. Most people, if they knew my days and nights would either call me a Monk (which I’ve been called) or something similar. I do not mind being called a Monk. Anyway, why am I writing this? Honestly, I just became so overwhelmed when I realized that Psalm 27 represents my life. That is, if I could summarize it. And the cool thing is, the Holy Spirit in me smiles and affirms to me, “yes, it is, and it has been given to you by your Father.” I consider this the greatest privilege or commendation a child of God can receive. To be told by God Himself that “yes, you represent this.” And in that, I rejoice. Not that I have “reached” some achievement. Of course not! But that the depths of the depths of my heart have been heard and seen by my Father. And that He has honored my request and honored me by answering the deepest desires of my heart. Because in truth, He said to me “seek My face,” and His face I sought continually. Then, one thing did I ask of the LORD: “that I might dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life that I might gaze at His beauty and inquire of Him.” And so in truth, the LORD is my light and my salvation. He alone is my stronghold. He alone protects and provides. He alone leads me in His paths. He alone knows me. And so …It is well today.