Today’s YouVersion Verse of the Day comes from Psalm 27. It is a beautiful psalm of David declaring who God is in his life (his light, salvation, stronghold).  His focus is on who God is and remains to be despite opposition.

Psalm 27
Of David.
1 The Lord is my light and my salvation— (David declares who God is to him)
    whom shall I fear? – (his conclusion based on who God is: he will not fear anyone else)
The Lord is the stronghold of my life— (who God is to him)
    of whom shall I be afraid? (his conclusion based on who God is: he will not fear anyone else)

2 When the wicked advance against me to devour me, (the word “when”, not “if” indicates he knows opposition is a reality and it will come)
it is my enemies and my foes who will stumble and fall. (but going back to who God is in his life, he is confident that it is his foes who will stumble and fall.  He will remain standing and steadfast in The Lord)

3 Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me,
    even then I will be confident. (“besiege” and “war break out against” are strong forms of opposition, but his confidence remains in who God is in his life)

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. (He is focused on his goal, of remaining in God and to seek Him, to fix his gaze on Him no matter what opposition comes against him)

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. (The Lord is his protection. In the presence of The Lord is his safety. He is waiting on The Lord for his vindication.  His advance pre-made decision is to abide in The Lord, to obey Him.)

6 Then my head will be exalted above the enemies who surround me; (He is putting his hope in The Lord for his vindication, protection, defense)
at his sacred tent I will sacrifice with shouts of joy; I will sing and make music to the Lord. (His advance decision is to shout for joy, praise, sing and make music to Him even if it may not be as a result of naturally praiseworthy wonderful circumstances.  It may be circumstances that don’t look good, but he is going to praise God even if it is his sacrifice.  We can praise God even in difficult circumstances or in the periods of waiting because we know God’s character to be good, holy, just, faithful, true.  It will be a matter of time when He will reveal His perfect plan and how He uses everything, including the passing circumstances, for good)

7 Hear my voice when I call, Lord; be merciful to me and answer me. (He is calling on the Lord for mercy and favorable answer to his call)

8 My heart says of you, “Seek his face!” Your face, Lord, I will seek.  (He will seek God’s face.  In human terms, to seek someone’s face is to turn towards, instead of away from, that person.  In the day when circumstances are fear-worthy or distressing, his heart is set on turning to The Lord and seeking for His response)

9 Do not hide your face from me, do not turn your servant away in anger; (another plea that God answer him. He is asking God to respond to him)
    you have been my helper. (a declaration of how God has been his Helper in past circumstances)
Do not reject me or forsake me, God my Savior. (He humbles himself and pleas for God’s favorable answer to save him, to take care of him)

10 Though my father and mother forsake me,  the Lord will receive me.  (The very people who should be the source of care, protection, love… even if they abandon him or turn away from him, he is confident that God will openly receive him and not forsake him.  God is his hope and help.)

11 Teach me your way, Lord; lead me in a straight path because of my oppressors. (He submits himself to God’s authority and wisdom.  He is seeking God’s way, not his own way, in responding to his oppressors.  The natural human response that even animals have are fight, flight, freeze.  Instead of relying on what is natural, David asks God to teach him and lead him in a straight path, not to give in to his human instinctive responses and human solutions.  He trusts that God’s solutions are best and most effective)

12 Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes,  for false witnesses rise up against me, spouting malicious accusations. (David is asking that God not allow to happen what his foes want to happen.  There are false witnesses and malicious accusations.  Sometimes, such are what Satan uses to bait us into sinning by responding in anger, flesh to flesh.  God gives us the better option as His children to respond in the Holy Spirit, to do what the Holy Spirit would want us to do, to submit ourselves to the control of the Holy Spirit: to respond in love, joy, peace, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control.  His Word gives us the truth that what looks like a struggle with human enemies is actually not about people but about the battle in the spiritual realm.  It’s about spiritual warfare.  In Verse 1 above, ” ‘whom’ shall I fear and ‘of whom’ shall I be afraid” can apply not just to human opposition but even to Satan.  Satan is already a defeated foe.  Please click here for more on Spiritual Warfare.)

13 I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. (David is confident God will show him His goodness.)

Today’s YouVersion Verse of the Day:
14 Wait for the Lord;
    be strong and take heart
    and wait for the Lord.  (Google’s definition of “wait”: “stay where one is or delay action until a particular time or until something else happens.”  David tells himself to not rush into responding what his mind immediately thinks of in the face of fierce and unjust opposition.  He looks at waiting for The Lord as the best response.  FreeDictionary’s meaning of “take heart”: “to receive courage or comfort from some fact”)

Dear Lord, thank You for this psalm. Please help me to apply it to my situation today in Jesus’s name amen.