“I (would) had fainted, unless I had believed to see the Goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait on the Lord; be of good courage—and He shall strengthen your heart. Wait, I say, on the Lord.”
Psalm 27:13-14
Faintheartedness and weariness-of-mind should remind us of our need of Him.
How goes the battle, Pilgrim? Are you winning or losing? Are you feeling like “more than a conqueror” (Rom. 8:37)? Or, are you feeling like a beat-up, knocked-down, worn-out, fed-up, conquered, chained-to-someone’s-chariot and being paraded around like their “spoils of war”?
If so, this Manna’s for you.
David began this beautiful psalm with some powerful words: “The Lord is my Light and my Salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the Strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? When the wicked, even my enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell. Though a host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident” (vv.1-3).
He then increased the song’s intensity by declaring “One thing have I desired 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 behold the beauty of the Lord and to enquire in His Temple” (v.4). Glory!!
Even though the Temple had not yet been built—and wouldn’t be until after his death—David pictured what it would look like in his heart. And, as he gazed up into that night sky. . .with its full, mellow moon and twinkling stars. . .singing praises to the “God Who is able”. . .he knew that all was well with his soul. And, he knew the Antidote for Anxiety and Prescription for Perplexity were “seeing the Goodness of the Lord in the land of the living and waiting upon Him.”
When you look around you, Pilgrim? What do you see?
Trouble? Pain and suffering? Man’s inhumanity to man? Others’ unbelief?
Or, do you see “the Goodness of the Lord”. . .His faithfulness. . .His steadfast Love. . .His many acts of creation and evidence of His Presence and handiwork?
Truly, your “focus” determines your response.
Warren Wiersbe once said, “If you look at others, you’ll get distressed. If you look at yourself, you’ll get depressed. But, if you look to Jesus, you’ll get blessed.” Hallelujah!!
As David said, “When You said, ‘Seek My Face;’ my heart said unto You, ‘Your Face, Lord, will I seek’” (Ps. 27:8). He was “agreeing with God”—i.e., implicitly, quite simply saying “Lord, You said it. That settles it. And, I’m going to rest in Who You are and what You’ve promised” (Heb. 11:6).
Oh, dear Pilgrim, do not fear or fret. God is faithful and knows your need (Ps. 27:10; I Cor. 10:13). So, if you’re feeling faint today, “Believe in God’s Goodness and wait/rest in Him.” He’ll “renew your strength and strengthen your heart” (Is. 40:31). Amen and amen.
October 23, 2011
