Psalm 27:13-14: I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.
The setting: David is in trouble: wicked assailants, enemies, war.
His response: Ps. 27:8: I will seek the face of the Lord.
His conclusion: I can wait with hope.
Meanings:
“Still confident”: aman—believe, hold up, build up or support, render firm
“Wait”: qavah—to bind together, to expect, to look for patiently, to wait for or on or upon
“Be strong”: chazaq—fasten on, seize, bind, confirm, conquer, be courageous
“Take heart”: lev—emotions plus will and intellect—total inner being.
What David is saying:
There is trouble all around me. Enemies desire to destroy me. But I seek the Lord. And He meets me and rescues me.
Therefore I am confident that my belief/trust in God is firm. I am connected to Him. I can believe that I will see God’s goodness in the land of the living as well as in heaven.
So I can wait with hope. I can in my heart bind together the difficult present with a hopeful future (in this world) of God’s involvement and goodness. I can live in light of God.
I will, therefore, be strong. I will seize and fasten on God and who He is. I will take heart and will bring my emotions, intellect and will under His loving sovereignty.
I will eagerly anticipate what God will do. I will wait with hope.
And therefore we can say:
Lord, you know the pain I am experiencing because of the choices ______ has made. You know I want to trust and have hope, but I often am filled with hurt and fear and anger and even despair and hopelessness. But I will seek You and You will meet me and rescue me.
Therefore I am confident in You. I will stay connected to You and will choose to believe that I will see your goodness in the life of my loved one.
So I can/will wait with hope. I will in my heart bind together this difficult present with that hopeful future of your involvement and goodness. I choose to live in light of who You are.
I will, therefore, be strong and take courage. I know what You are like—You are God and You are good. I choose to seize that truth and believe You will bring my emotions into confident trust and rest in You.
I will eagerly anticipate what You will do. I will wait with hope.
Amen.
Waiting with Hope -A study on Psalms 27 By Judy Douglass
