Psalm 27 is one of my favorite Psalms to read. I've memorized and taught through it. I was encouraged by a friend to write a study on the Psalm. Teaching on it in a rush takes an hour. It can easily be done through a series or a study to get through it slowly and not make it an amalgamated mush.
The verse that encapsulates the entire Psalm from my perspective is verse 13. Sadly, not all translations have the words "I would have lost heart," which begins the verse in KJV, NKJV, and NIV. Not all manuscripts have those words, so translations that added them are italicized. It adds an exhale to all David said before them. He talks about the power of God's deliverance through all he had gone through in his run from Saul. And if it was written when he ran from his son Absalom, there is even more that David had encountered. Things were done to him, he plotted sin, and he experienced God's mercy because he did not cherish sin in his heart, Psalm 32, 51.
As I isolate this Psalm through my blog, the aforementioned realities of David will have their moment of explanation for our learning and hope. Today the words "I would have lost heart" will be first because the hope in them is a choice we each need to make. Those words are followed by "...unless I had believed." Here are the questions that propose the choice,
1. "What do you believe about Jesus?"
2. "How are you walking in relationship to Him?"
David did not lose heart because he believed that The LORD was his LIGHT, SALVATION, AND STRONGHOLD. These were reasons David did not fear or lose heart. Paul reminds us in Galatians 6:9, "Let us not grow weary while doing good." Paul could offer that encouragement because he offered his readers something to believe. He presented a promise from God. "for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart." David has the same hope in verse 14 "Wait on the LORD... He shall strengthen your heart..."
Paul and David knew experientially of the strength God offered those who don't lose heart or those willing to wait on Him. When we remember what God has done, take hold of His promises, and understand His character, we can wait and not lose heart. Those words indicate being in the middle of a circumstance that is a struggle. This encouragement is not being offered when life is just peachy. We can rest assured that David is encouraging himself and, eventually, those who will take hope in his words. 1 Samuel 30:6 describes David's choice to "strengthen himself in the Lord." Psalms 27's encouragement to us is not new for David. We know his offer to us not to lose heart is one of experience. David's story contains moments where losing heart would have been easy.
Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 12:9 what God said to him, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." This is our offer if we hope in God and do not lose heart. Isaiah puts it this way in 40:31 "But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar like eagles; they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not faint." Doesn't that sound like Paul telling his reader, "not to grow weary...?" This can only happen when we believe the correct things about The Lord. When we make errors in our beliefs, that can be an impetus to lose heart. Now God can use our circumstances to disabuse our beliefs about Him. I've been there, and those times hurt, but if you allow God to help you understand the truth about Him through circumstances, hope arises, and our hearts are strengthened. Each time we encounter hardships that can cause us to lose heart, we will grow in understanding the truth about what God does and does not promise.
The only way to hope in anything is to know something about it that allows us to choose to put our full weight on it. No one sits in a chair unless they know the legs will hold them. My husband built a stand for a rain catcher tumbler I have. First, I offered him a stand for it. He noticed the stand I gave him had a maximum weight that the tumbler would exceed when full. He did not feel confident that the stand would work. He could not hope in it to accomplish the mission we were trying to achieve, so he built one to put his hope into. One that would be secure. One that the tumbler could rest on even when full and extremely heavy. It has stood the test of the rainy season.
Returning to my questions at the beginning of this devotion, "What do you believe about Jesus?" Is it enough for you to rest all the weight of your hope? If it is not, dear family of God, you are weary. I know because I've been there.
I'll introduce one more person to help us gain a little more understanding. The circumstance does not need to be the focus, but coming to trust who Jesus is should be. In John 6, Jesus is teaching his disciples that he is the bread from heaven. He had just fed the multitudes. He knew they only wanted what his hands offered; they did not want him. Offering them the bread that would take away their spiritual hunger was why Jesus came. He said, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to ME shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst." They did not believe this about Jesus, so they began to quarrel or to "grow weary." Their hope in him began to wane, and many began to walk away from him. This concern should be considered if we choose to lose heart or grow weary. We may begin to point fingers at God, blame him, lessen his power by not trusting him, and even reject his grace in our weakness.
I paraphrase, Jesus turned to the twelve and asked if they would lose heart too. While the twelve heard the same message, they, too, could not grasp it. They believed something about Jesus that kept their eyes on Him through this difficult teaching. Peter says, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life." The next part of his statement is vital for us. It repeats David, "I would have lost heart, unless I had believed." Peter continues, "We have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Peter communicated belief (believe) and experience (know).
David encourages the hope that is possible for each of us in God. Peter helps us grasp this, and Paul reminds us from whom it comes. What do you believe about Jesus? That is a key question. You and I will put our hope in only what we believe can handle our circumstances. Will it be to numb yourself with worldly solutions (Psalm 1 ) or to hope in God? You will be weary and spiritually exhausted if you don't believe Jesus can handle the full weight of your circumstance. If you believe he can handle it, you will soar on wings as eagles. You will live and not lose heart. That is what David wrote in Psalm 27 to remind us God can handle whatever we are going through, so we can say, "I would have lost heart unless I had believed!"
Kommentare