He Will Set Me Upon a Rock
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Psalm 27:1-6, 13-14
1. The 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? 2. When evildoers assail me, uttering slanders against me, my adversaries and foes, they shall stumble and fall. 3. Though a host encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war arise against me, yet I will be confident. 4. One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple. 5. For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble; he will conceal me under the cover of his tent, he will set me high upon a rock. 6. And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies round about me; and I will offer in his tent sacrifices with shouts of joy; I will sing and make melody to the Lord. 13. I believe that I shall see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living! 14. Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; yea, wait for the Lord!
I had intended to go to the New Testament this morning, but had stray bookmark between the pages containing this psalm and the start of Psalm 28. Not a bad way to set a proper attitude before going out into the world! If we set God above us, as our beacon and our place of refuge and comfort, what can the world throw at us that we won’t be able to handle? God has been faithful to David time and time again, and he lifts these words not only to comfort those around him, but to remind himself of God’s faithfulness.
When we at our lowest point, when all our reserves have been depleted, when we feel as if we just can’t make it one more second—that’s when God stoops down and cups His hand and lifts us up above the cares and troubles of this world. That’s when He’s the most sure and the most reliable. When we’re at our weakest, He’s our strength. When we’re down in the mouth, he’s our song! When we just don’t think we can go on one more day—that’s when He rescues us. That kind of confidence in God gets us through everything life throws our way!
The world is so loud and intrusive and so David retreats to the sanctuary of God’s love and help, comfort and protection. We need to create a sanctuary within ourselves—a quiet place carved out just for God. And when the world closes in on us, we can go to that place and find calm and soothing and “recharge our batteries.”
When we’re sad and troubled, God promises to cradle our heads in His lap. When we’re feeling unloved and unwanted, God promises to lift us up – high upon a rock – so that our spirits are revitalized, and we feel His closeness and personal involvement in our lives. When we’re overwhelmed and overcome, He’ll draw us to Him, and set us at the foot of His throne – as we behold the beauty of the Lord. To be in that presence is surely a comfort, a joy, affords a deep sense of fulfillment and of being loved beyond words.
Sometimes all I need is to remember how much God loves me! In a class I attended the other night, the facilitator explained it this way: Imagine the look of a three-year old, looking at a Christmas tree all light up and under it are all the wonderful treasures Santa has left—the look on that child’s face, the feeling that is projected through the twinkle in those eyes, the little cheeks, flushed with excitement, the heart racing with anticipation and expectation – that’s how God feels every time He looks at you!
He loves you more than a three year old loves Christmas morning. He loves you more than anything! And He will do anything to make us understand that! In fact, He already sent His Son/Himself to earth. He wanted so much to demonstrate that He not only knows and understands what it is to be human, but that in our humanness, He loves us, because we are His creations.
Wow! I hope today you can bask in the comfort and joy of knowing God loves you more than a three year old loves Christmas! And that he gave us Christmas so that He could demonstrate His love for us on Good Friday, and create a new covenant on Easter morning.
Mary
