As the Heart Waits and Seeks

This week we return to Psalm 27 to consider our topic of the heart.  We return to this compact Psalm that begins with questions and ends with this declaration of faith: “I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living! Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!”

This is the third and final week of considering how the use of the word heart in Psalm 27 can “shape, encourage and describe our devotional life.” This is a personal Psalm sprinkled with first persons in almost every line. David starts the Psalm with two questions related to fear but gives us his source of courage and peace with these opening verses: “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?” The Lord is “my light, my salvation, and the stronghold of my life.” We can remember, meditate on, and speak these three word pictures in our prayers when the shadow of fear crosses our path.

In the parallels of poetry the word of the week heart is used with I that is so often used in this personal Psalm of David. Here are the three examples: “Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war arise against me, yet I will be confident.” Again, “You have said, ‘Seek my face.’ My heart says to you, ‘Your face, Lord, do I seek.’ Hide not your face from me.” Then in an appeal to his readers or listeners, “Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!”

The desires and prayer of David’s heart are expressed in this verse: “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 gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple.” In the presence of the Lord, his house/temple, where his light, salvation and strength are found will David’s fears/enemies be defeated by the Lord.

Fear is a battle for the heart in Psalm 27. Even the fear of death is confronted in this verse, “I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living!” The answer to the fear of death is resurrection based upon the three word pictures at the beginning of the Psalm.

This week we will consider what it means for our hearts on a daily basis to both seek and wait in our devotional lives.