When Heaven and Earth Meet
Reading for today: Psalm 27
The
Lord is my light and my salvation- who will I fear?
The
opening line of Psalm 27 set me thinking about sudden danger, and those times
when I'm afraid. If a reckless driver swerves over the double line, our hearts
thump, and the hairs on the back of our neck prickle. We swerve and brace
ourselves for the collision. Yet, underlying our initial fear, we know God has
our back. While heaven and earth meet in one crucial moment, he can redirect an
incident to a greater purpose.
David
had encountered dangers in war, and God had saved his life. He knew God shone light
on his journey. After committing the battle to the Lord, he’d moved forward in
faith.
But how
do we worship when trouble barges its way into our lives? I recently spent an
encouraging weekend at a Christian women’s conference where the speaker focused
on Job’s suffering. I marveled at his unwavering faith, which kept him from
criticizing God. Why? From his past dealings, Job knew God is omnipotent and
good.
In Psalm
27, David had experienced the Lord’s faithfulness, both in victory and in
tragedy. He prayed with a grateful heart, with the assurance God offered him
beyond his painful circumstances. He’d find peace of mind in the Lord’s house.
“One thing I ask of the Lord, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the
Lord’s house all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to
seek him in his temple.”
David
could enter the outer courts of the tabernacle, the temporary tent where God
revealed his presence to the people in the Most Holy Place and there, the Holy
Spirit came upon David, inspiring his profound worship. Christians enjoy a wonderful
privilege: when the Lord Jesus becomes our Saviour and Lord, his Holy Spirit
takes up permanent residence in our hearts. If we let him govern us, he will
fill our entire being. We can live in the Lord’s presence as we walk this
earth.
How is
it possible? David gives us a few pointers.
He
trusted in his sovereign God’s faithful protection. “In the day of trouble,
he will keep me safe in his dwelling.” Psalm 27:5. By focusing on God while
trouble raged around him, the Lord lifted and carried his spirit away from
the onslaught until he could sing praises to his God.
David
prayed. “My
heart says of you, ‘Seek his face.’ Your face, I will seek.”
A Christian friend, or the Holy Spirit’s still
voice, whispers in our ear. “Pray! Ask God to help you.”
And you
do. He is faithful. Even when family or friends disappoint us, the Lord is near
to the brokenhearted and crushed in spirit. Psalm 34:18.
The
Psalmist asks the Lord to lead him in a straight path. Psalm 27:11. The
wisest way to seek the Lord’s blessing is to accept his precepts, adopting them
as our own. If we throw off all restraint to pursue freedom, our rebellion will
wrap its tentacles around our souls, and we’ll lose sight of God. This is the
same as rejecting him. Illicit sex, drugs, an all-consuming love
for anyone or for a special interest may seem like fun for a while, but if they control
us, we’ll fall into in a worse mess. If we submit our interests to God and respect
his standards, our attitude will change, and he will help us control
them.
Let’s take a second look at verse 1.
Jesus, the world’s light and our Savior, is central
to the Bible. He is our salvation in the Psalms, our ultimate high priest,
mediator and advocate in Hebrews, the Son of God who loves us in John’s gospel
and the wisest of teachers in Luke. When we get our heads around these amazing
truths, we trust in his counsel and worship him.
Here is a pearl of his great wisdom: Enter
through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads
to destruction, and many enter through it. Matthew 7:13. Jesus is warning us of
the cost of following him. And he is the only way into heaven, to the joy of living. John 14:6. There are untold, forever pleasures beyond the
narrow gate. In God’s house, in the quiet sanctuary of God’s
presence, we will find soul thrilling joy, which will last far beyond the grave
and into eternity. He fills us with joy and at his right hand are pleasures
forever. Psalm 16:11. And if we walk in his footsteps every day, we’ll tread
the path in which his blessing flows.
David
finishes his psalm, confident of God’s goodness.
“Take
heart, be strong and wait for the Lord.” Psalm
27:14.
Ever
since God created us, people have died for their faith: persecution has
flourished. Was God in their suffering? And why? According to Jesus, although
enemies can destroy the body, they can do nothing more to their victims. He
implied there’s life after death and a greater purpose for living beyond
ourselves. The persecuted knew this, looked beyond their trials, and trusted
God. They drew strength from heaven as they endured pain on earth.
Jesus
taught us to love God with all our hearts and to love our neighbors as
ourselves, commandments which embody all God’s laws for humanity. What else does
the Bible tell us? God is sovereign. Jesus, who is both God and man, sustains
creation through supreme might. He existed before everything and everyone,
which means he claims all sovereignty over creation and over us. Wow! He is the
greatest, which is why he deserves our devotion more than anyone else or any
created object.
If we
have prayed for decades or for just one hour, we can stay strong. Our God is
good, and we can trust him as we dwell in his presence. Let’s carry the joy and
peace of heaven with us wherever we go. In the stillness of knowing our God in
his sanctuary, we'll find peace and we’ll worship him. Seek God’s kingdom and
his righteousness. Matthew 6:33. Everything else will fall into perspective as
he directs his ultimate plan for our lives.
When we
crave peace of mind and heart, let’s consciously dwell in Jesus’ presence. He
is always with us if we have received him as our Lord and Savior. The times we
spend in one-to-one conversation with him, in our secret place, will refresh
us, and allow his love and peace to flow through us. Seek him, enter his house,
follow in his footsteps, be strong and wait for his guidance. Job learned that heaven
rules and praised his God. May this also be our experience.
“And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with
him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable
riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.” Ephesians 2:6. N.I.V.
Selah.
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