Faithful on Fridays Blog

Psalm 27:1-5

King David developed a keen understanding of the value of encouraging yourself in faith. As a warrior-king he’d confronted many physical enemies and through God he was always victorious. In this Psalm he gives insight into his prayer life through faith declarations: Yahweh is my Light, my Salvation, and my life’s Stronghold. It’s personal to him; God and God alone illuminates his direction for victory. I have to ask myself if I go to ‘my Light’ when I’m unsure of what direction to go? Since Jesus is the Light of the World He should be the first person I turn to.

When David declared that the LORD was his salvation, he clearly knew when trouble arrived it was God who would rescue him. Salvation is the Hebrew word meaning rescue and deliverance, additionally it’s where the Hebrew word for Jesus comes: Yeshua. David is acknowledging God’s victory over his lower story enemies, the Philistines or Amalekites, but we acknowledge Jesus’ victory over our final enemy: death (1 Cor. 15:26). As believers in Jesus Christ and His victory over death by His resurrection we’re assured that death is no longer our enemy since we have eternal life in Him: we’re literally immortal.

The king also acknowledged that Yahweh is his stronghold in life, his safe house of protection with high walls, like a castle. It’s a place of shelter to escape the troubles in life and it’s found in Jesus. He’s our sanctuary from the world where we can flee in prayer. 

With that understanding David can rightfully ask twice: “Whom shall I fear? Whom shall I afraid?” Answer? No one: Spiritual warfare is fought through faith declarations like that. Even when the enemy pursues him, David goes on to proclaim his heart will not fear because they will stumble and fall. He’s not intimidated by any enemy because his relationship with God is personal, covenantal, and confidently full of faith (vs. 3). He knows God loves, cares, and is merciful to him. That’s faith.

David reduced his prayer to the most important thing and seeking after that for the rest of his life: to dwell in God’s presence. He hasn’t experienced the Holy Spirit living in him, as believers we have. He desires to gaze and meditate on the LORD’s beauty … and he will. However, we can experience that now when we spend quality, intimate time with Him in prayer. We have free access to God through the Spirit, in fact, He’s patiently waiting for us to enter into that ‘secret place’ where we can hide in Him (vs. 5). 

Spiritual warfare isn’t simply fighting the devil, although sometimes true, it’s also remembering who we are in Christ, our spiritual identity, and standing confidently in that place. We can’t let the enemy of our soul deceive us into thinking God doesn’t care or that He’s mad and disappointed in us. He loves and cares deeply about us; that‘s why David wrote this Warfare Psalm to encourage us.