Second Sunday of Lent | Psalm 27

Welcome back to the book of Psalms everyone. Psalm 27 is my psalm. When we divvied up the chapters, I claimed this one right away. My fight song. Do you have one of those? A song that takes you back to a time and place when you battled and endured? The opening chords start up, and all the struggle and emotion and fight come pouring back. Crank it up. And it always seems to come on when I need it—when life feels like eleven rounds in a boxing match and I'm in the corner looking up through sweat and tears and blood. But the music kicks in...stand up, beat my chest and shout at the world. Bring it. 

I have to admit, Psalm 27 would not play on typical Christian radio—not the way I hear it. Too raw. They hit the guitars too hard. For my soundtrack while studying, I went back to my old school playlist. We Shall Overcome by the Supertones; Until My Heart Caves In by Audio Adrenaline. You might not recognize my songs, but I'm sure you have your own—songs that carried you through the hard years. I think that's what the Psalms did for David, and for faithful Israelites centuries on. For something more familiar, think I'm a Survivor by Destiny's Child, or even Immigrant Song by Zeppelin. Driving rhythm, primal scream, let's go.

Just don't play Psalm 27 on a flute. Put down the ukulele, plug in your amps, and crank it til you feel it. David is a warrior, and this is a fight song. Verse 1:

"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?" (Psalm 27:1).

Just reading it, I feel it again. You know the feeling—when the guitars kick in and strength floods your veins. "The Lord is." All of David's resilience and grit begin here. The Lord is my light—no darkness shall overtake me. The Lord is my salvation—no sin will condemn me. The Lord is my stronghold—no weapon formed against me will stand. So you tell me, of whom shall I be afraid? 

Verse 2:

"When the wicked advance against me

to devour me,

it is my enemies and my foes

who will stumble and fall.

Though an army besiege me,

my heart will not fear;

though war break out against me,

even then I will be confident" (Psalm 27:2-3). 

David's confidence nearly bursts off the page. This is no empty bravado, this is God-confidence. David sees the field of battle, he knows the danger. "Though an army besiege me." But he also knows the One in whom he trusts. "My heart will not fear." I can almost feel the reverb in my chest.

But then, the music lifts above the field of battle. Musically speaking, verse 4 is a bridge—the kind that lifts you up by the heart and leaves your feet nearly floating.

"One thing I ask from the Lord,

this only do I seek:

that I may dwell in the house of the Lord

all the days of my life,

to gaze on the beauty of the Lord

and to seek him in his temple" (Psalm 27:4).

One thing. There is great power in undivided focus. David makes one request, and he seeks after it. He desires God's house and pursues God's presence. Verse 5:

"For in the day of trouble

he will keep me safe in his dwelling;

he will hide me in the shelter of his sacred tent

and set me high upon a rock" (Psalm 27:5).

Safe. Whatever life throws at me—He will shelter me. My life may be under siege, but my soul is safe—tucked away in God's tent. And the music lifts higher still, far above the din of sword and battle, lifted high upon that rock. Verse 6:

"Then my head will be exalted

above the enemies who surround me;

at his sacred tent I will sacrifice with shouts of joy..." (Psalm 27:6). 

I love the imagery. A battlefield can overwhelm you, and so can life. It crowds your vision until all you see is conflict. Yet David is lifted above his enemies. Perspective. And in God's presence he gets his joy back, and every sacrifice is worth it. God is worth it. Back in verse 6:

"I will sing and make music to the Lord" (Psalm 27:6b).

David is resilient. The setting is still the day of trouble, but David is determined. He will sing. Life gets rough, the world drags you down—but pop in those headphones and let the song lift you. Sing to the Lord. 

And he's not content to just sing his song out into the void. In verse 7, he calls on the Lord to hear his voice. 

"...be merciful to me and answer me" (Psalm 27:7). 

In other words, I need to know that you heard me Lord. Have mercy, and answer. Verse 8:

"My heart says of you, “Seek his face!”

Your face, Lord, I will seek" (Psalm 27:8).

And now the song of survival becomes a song of seeking. That's how it works, isn't it? The storm hits, you brace your feet against it, and battle by battle it strips you bare. Your heart grows resilient, but it demands something. If we're gonna survive this storm, we need purpose. We need a direction to fight towards. David's heart calls to him, seek his face. He listens, looks heavenward, and responds, "Your face, Lord, I will seek." Verse 9:

"Do not hide your face from me,

do not turn your servant away in anger;

you have been my helper.

Do not reject me or forsake me,

God my Savior" (Psalm 27:9).

Now you might be tempted to tell David, "You don't need to pray that. Of course God won't reject you. He would never forsake you." But remember: respect the poet's process. Let David process his feelings, and he'll help you process yours.The storm is on, and David needs to know that this fight is for something. He gives voice to his anxieties about being forsaken in order to give them to God and let them go. Verse 9 is anxious, verse 10 is resilient:

"Though my father and mother forsake me, the Lord will receive me" (Psalm 27:10).

David reminds himself that the Lord is not like people. People let you down, the Lord is faithful. People betray, the Lord is faithful. Even your own flesh and blood forsake you, the Lord is faithful. And when the fight is over, the Lord will receive you. Verse 11:

"Teach me your way, Lord;

lead me in a straight path

because of my oppressors" (Psalm 27:11).

David is focused now, determined to press on along the straight path God has called him to. Oppressors battle against me, lead me Lord. Verse 12:

"Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes, for false witnesses rise up against me, spouting malicious accusations" (Psalm 27:12). 

At last we see the nature of David's battle—false witnesses, malicious accusations—a battle over words, reputation, and truth. A life and death battle indeed. Paul reminds us in 1st Corinthians that our battle is much the same, demolishing arguments and pretensions that set themselves up against the knowledge of God.

Back here in Psalm 27, the music rises once more for the final crescendo—the culmination. And for me, verse 13 hits home like no other:

"I remain confident of this:

I will see the goodness of the Lord

in the land of the living" (Psalm 27:13).

You know how sometimes you hear a verse, and it's missing something, because you remember it from a different translation. This translation is good, but years ago when you read it, it was like God spoke it to you personally, and you just need to hear those words again. That's verse 13 for me.

Mid 2000's. thirty-two years young. I was a young dad with three kids to feed, guide and provide for, bills piled up, and all the demands of ministry and pastoring teenagers into adulthood. Meanwhile, life didn't seem too concerned about my personal problems. My dad in the hospital—stroke. Maybe terminal. And everything just piled up. I needed a fight song—an I will survive song. I opened Psalm 27, and when I got to verse 13, it was like the clouds parted and I heard God's voice. I'll read the New King James because these are the words I remember:

"I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the LORD In the land of the living" (Psalm 27:13 NKJV).

The phrase I would have lost heart is not in the Hebrew. Italics in the New King James indicate that the translators added it to try to capture something inferred in Hebrew. See David begins verse 13 with the word unless, like he's already halfway through a thought. Unless. Like he doesn't even want to say the words—doesn't even want to think where he'd be—unless... I was sure, unless I was convinced, unless I knew with everything in me: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. 

That was my fight song. Those are the words that steeled my heart against the storm. 

The psalm closes with a quiet confidence, like a warrior's heart that's found peace. Verse 14:

"Wait for the Lord;

be strong and take heart

and wait for the Lord" (Psalm 27:14).