Sermon – Psalm 27 – Seek God’s Face

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard

First Presbyterian Church of Ocean City

Sermon – Psalm 27 – Seek God’s Face

February 21, 2016

            I am continuing today with our look at the Psalms of Lent.  Lent symbolizes, over a 40 day period, the time Jesus spent in the wilderness before the start of his ministry.   And so Lent encourages us to look inward and find peace in our relationship with Jesus Christ.  The first step in this was to believe that God is your refuge, the place you can go when you are in trouble.  Today we will hear that in order to arrive at this place of refuge it is important to seek God’s face.  We will get to this, but first let’s pray.

            “Grant unto us, O Lord, to be occupied in the mysteries of thy heavenly wisdom, with true progress in piety, to thy glory and our own edification. Amen.” (John Calvin)

Psalm 27:1The 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?

            With this bold statement King David has declared that God is his refuge, his fortress, his stronghold.   Whatever happens, David has the confidence to act because he knows that God is with him.  We know this too.  Whenever we face trouble, hardship, illness, disability, financial distress, relationship problems, the death of a loved one, care of aging parents, or just growing old we have a God we can count on.  Let’s go back to David and see why he needs God to be his fortress.

² When the wicked advance against me
    to devour me,
it is my enemies and my foes
    who will stumble and fall.
³ Though an army besiege me,
    my heart will not fear;
though war break out against me,
    even then I will be confident.

            For those who have been Christian for a long time you have built up a large reservoir of trust in God.  Younger Christians need to follow your lead to develop that trust.  We need to trust God and be confident in his protection, when we are experiencing difficulties.  And so today we will see how to build up our trust in God. 

            The benefit of trusting God is that when you face difficulties you will be free from fear.   When non-Christians lose a job they are quite fearful.   But when we lose a job we are confident that God will lead us to a new one.  When non-Christians get sick they fear death.  But when we get sick we are confident in God who not only heals but also resurrects from the dead.  When non-Christians experience relationship problems they become fearful and angry.  But we worship a God of relationship, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, who actively works to restore relationships.

            All these benefits are for those who trust God.  This trust assures us of God’s continuing presence both now and in the future.  But how to we come to trust God?  What can we do to build up our confidence in him?  Let’s hear what David has to say.

⁴ 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.

            The first thing we can do to build up our trust in God is to worship him.   We do this by coming to church each Sunday.   Here in worship we come to seek God’s presence.  We gaze on God’s beauty.  We hear God’s word.  We sing God’s praises.  We speak to God in prayer.  All of this helps us to trust God more fully.  In worship we develop the confidence that God will be there when you need him.  Listen to how David puts it.

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.

⁶ Then my head will be exalted
    above the enemies who surround me;
at his sacred tent I will sacrifice with shouts of joy;
    I will sing and make music to the Lord.

            And so worship is where we come to develop our confidence that God will be there when we need him.  But there is more that we can do.  We can go beyond worship to seek God.  We can pray.  We can offer up prayers any time of the day or night.  But it is crucial that you pray every day as a way to develop trust in the Lord so that you will not fear during your times of trouble.  Listen to David’s prayer.

⁷ Hear my voice when I call, Lord;
    be merciful to me and answer me.
⁸ My heart says of you, “Seek his face!”
    Your face, Lord, I will seek.
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.

            So far we have seen two things we can do to build up our trust in God.  First we worship every Sunday.  And second we pray every day.  But there is even more that we can do to build up our confidence in the Lord.  We can receive teaching from God.  Here is how David put it.

¹⁰ Though my father and mother forsake me,
    the Lord will receive me.
¹¹ Teach me your way, Lord;
    lead me in a straight path
    because of my oppressors.

            We learn a lot from our parents and teachers in school.  But there is more we have to learn about God if we are to have a lasting relationship with him.  We need to study God’s word to receive instruction from him on how we should live our lives.  That is why it is crucial to attend Bible studies.  In Bible studies you have an opportunity to read scripture, understand what it means, and discuss practical applications with others.  Through this process you become more and more aware of what God is doing in the world around you.  You see what God did in biblical times and now you can recognize what God is doing in the world around you today.  Through this you learn to trust God more and more with your own lives. 

            King David learned to trust God.  He worshiped God in the temple.  He prayed to God daily.  And he learned about God from people knowledgeable of scripture.  And so when he experienced trouble in his life God was his stronghold.  Here is what happened.

¹² Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes,
    for false witnesses rise up against me,
    spouting malicious accusations.

¹³ I remain confident of this:
    I will see the goodness of the Lord
    in the land of the living.

            False witnesses are spreading lies about King David.  These are malicious lies, slander, designed to ruin his reputation and possibly bring down his kingdom.  But because of a lifetime of worship, prayer and Bible study, David is confident that God will protect him from these lies.  David has some wisdom for us.  Listen to the conclusion of the psalm.

¹⁴ Wait for the Lord;
    be strong and take heart
    and wait for the Lord.

            And so this is what we are to do whenever we face troubles in our lives.  We sit back and wait, trusting God to do what needs to be done.  When the doctors say there is no hope, when the landlord demands money that you do not have, when your job seems like hell on earth, the thing to do is rest in the confidence that God is with you to protect you and show you the way.  Listen to this story about trusting God.

            “A man just got married and was returning home with his wife. They were crossing a lake in a boat, when suddenly a great storm arose. The man was a warrior, but the woman became very much afraid because it seemed almost hopeless:

            The boat was small and the storm was really huge, and any moment they were going to be drowned. But the man sat silently, calm and quiet, as if nothing was happening.

            The woman was trembling and she said, “Are you not afraid?” This may be our last moment of life! It doesn’t seem that we will be able to reach the other shore. Only some miracle can save us; otherwise death is certain. Are you not afraid? Are you mad or something? Are you a stone or something?

            The man laughed and took the sword out of its sheath. The woman was even more puzzled: What he was doing? Then he brought the naked sword close to the woman’s neck, so close that just a small gap was there, it was almost touching her neck.

            He said,” Are you afraid?”

            She started to laugh and said,” Why should I be afraid?  If the sword is in your hands, why I should be afraid? I know you love me.

            He put the sword back and said, “This is my answer”. I know God Loves me, and the storm is in His hands.”  (http://rishikajain.com/2013/01/22/inspirational-short-story-with-moral-trust-in-god/)

            So, whenever we experience difficulties in life we can trust with confidence in the Lord our God.  We develop this trust by seeking God’s face.  We do this by worshiping every week, praying every day, and attending Bible study regularly.  Do these things and God will become your stronghold.  Let’s pray.

            “Lord our God, blessed is the one who comes in your name! Gather us in your gentle presence as a hen shelters her brood beneath her wings. Finish the work you have begun in us so that we may show your glory; through Jesus Christ our peace.”  Amen. (PCUSA Office of Theology and Worship)