First Christian
By Bruce Humes
Pastor
I was reading through the Psalms this week as I often do when things are troubling me; looking for the Lord to speak to me through his word. He led me right to Psalm 27. A psalm written by David, Israel’s second king, and he begins by saying, “The Lord is my light and my salvation.” When we think of light in the physical sense, we think of that which illuminates the way for us. Making our path safe to travel, even when there are many hills, bends, and pitfalls that could cause us great harm. Just as walking in physical darkness can cause us great harm, so too can walking in spiritual darkness. There is a spiritual darkness with many pitfalls that will cause devastating harm spiritually. We need someone to guide us through the darkness, and David says that it is the Lord who lights our path. The Lord himself tells us in John 8:12, “Then Jesus spoke to them again saying, ‘I am the light of the world. He who follows me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.’” King David recognized this fact some 1,000 years earlier, but the scribes and Pharisees didn’t see it even with Jesus standing right in front of them. David goes on to say, “whom should I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” With the Lord as his light, salvation, and strength the answer would be no one. That should be our answer too. If God is our light, salvation, and strength we should not be afraid, and trust in the Lord. Verse 2 gives us an example, “When the wicked came against me to eat up my flesh, (David sees them as vicious beasts, but yet) my enemies and foes, they stumbled and fell.” Again, we can see this as physical enemies and as spiritual enemies of darkness. Verse 3 continues with, “though an army may encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war may rise against me, in this am I confident.” He has confidence and trusts that Godwill remove his enemies, both physical and spiritual, and make his path straight, smooth and lit up.
He continues in verses 4-5, “One thing I have desired of the Lord, that which I will seek: that I may dwell 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. For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion; in the secret place of his tabernacle he shall hide me; he shall set me high upon a rock.” David wants one thing, to dwell in the house of the Lord. For David, that was the tabernacle, his place to go and meet with the Lord. In times of troubles, David could hide and be protected from his enemies. King David was a warrior and understood that God was his protector, and the temple was where he met with God, where he would set him upon a high rock.
As I read this psalm I was lifted up in my spirit, understanding that my Lord and savior was my light, my protector and strength, and putting my trust in him would put me high upon a rock as David said. Knowing this, what else can I do but make God the “one thing” in my life.
In John 14:1-3, just before his crucifixtion, death, burial and resurrection Jesus said, “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in me. In my father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would tell you. I go to prepare place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to myself; that where I am, there you may be also.” What a great promise from Jesus himself, and that is the “one thing“ for me, much like David, I long to be in his temple, residing in that mansion he prepared for me, were I can and will sing praises to him.
