Have you felt like you were walking on a daisy-lined path with the Lord, and then, the path ended? What do you do?
PRAY!
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.”
. . .
Teach me your way, O LORD,
and lead me on a level path
because of my enemies. Psalm 27:7-11
Some think that David wrote these words before he was king, when his parents died, or he was being pursued by Saul. Others think that he wrote this when he was old and after his men told him that he should not go into war again. 2 Samuel 21:16-17
Ancient pleas for favor and guidance, and yet, they are relevant to us today.
David knew how to get back on the right path. He prayed, and he trusted that God would hear him and answer him.
The desire of David’s heart was to dwell in the house of the LORD all his life, to gaze on God’s beauty, and to meditate/seek/inquire/consider the things of God. Psalm 27:4
But he had the cares of this world all about him. Like us, David had enemies. Our enemies might be people who are trying to destroy us like David’s enemies, or they might be sickness, financial problems, relationship problems (marriage, children, friends), or the cares of this world.
Like David, God’s children can be assured that He is in control of our lives and will work the outcome for our good because we love Him. Romans 8:28
Our responsibility
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. Psalm 27:5
- Cry out to the LORD (prayer). Ten times, it is recorded in the Psalms that David cried out to the Lord. He pled for mercy, deliverance from his afflictions, protection from his enemies, favor, guidance, understanding the ways of God, answered prayer, and he cried out in his devotions in the morning.
Be gracious to me, O Lord, for to you do I cry all the day. Psalm 86:3
When do you cry out to the LORD? - Ask the LORD (petition). In this prayer, David asks for favor (grace), answered prayer, understanding God’s ways, and for guidance. “O God, hear my prayer; give ear to the words of my mouth.” Psalm 54:2
What are you asking the LORD?
God’s requirement
- Seek God’s face, to strive after God. David set his focus upon seeking God, and it governs his self-talk and his direction. “Seek the LORD and his strength; seek his presence continually!” Psalm 105:4
Jesus tells His followers, “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” Matthew 6:33
The outcome
Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and beauty are in his sanctuary. Psalm 96:6
I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living! Psalm 27:13
“Faith and prayer must go together. He that believes, let him pray-I believe, therefore I have spoken: and he that prays, let him believe, for the prayer of faith is the prevailing prayer.” Matthew Henry
Goodness, according to Strong’s dictionary, means “fairness, beauty, joy, prosperity, welfare, and joy.”
Are you looking upon goodness?
Our action
Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD! Psalm 27:13-14
My life’s verse has been Isaiah 40:31
but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.
Waiting is an active waiting. It is an expectation that the Lord will work. With that expectation comes action on our part. It takes stepping out in faith knowing that the Lord will act.
Abraham set out for the Promised Land because God called him. He did not know where he was going. He was waiting for the Lord to show him. Active waiting.
How are you actively waiting on the Lord?
My prayer
Our LORD and our Father, thank You that we have David’s prayers to You. Thank You that You honor our prayers with goodness, protection, answers, and action. Teach us Your ways. Be gracious to us, and guide us on a level prayer path. We wait for You, O LORD. We will step out in faith, for we know that You are in control of our lives. In all that Jesus is, we pray. Amen.
