For in the day of trouble
he will keep me safe in his dwelling;
he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle
and set me high upon a rock.
6 Then my head will be exalted
above the enemies who surround me;
at his tabernacle will I sacrifice with shouts of joy;
I will sing and make music to the LORD. Psalms27:5-6
The key to understanding this section of the psalm lies in something David says to Saul when just before facing Goliath. "The LORD who delivered me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine." (1Sam17:37)
David uses his past to inform his future. In effect he is saying: "God has been trustworthy in the past - why will He stop now?"
As we enter into this long-weekend ahead of us...
- Has God been with us in the day of trouble?
- Have we, with His help, been able to overcome our enemies and challenges?
- Have we been able to lift up our heads after difficult times?
I think all of us can say "Yes - He _has_ been with us!"
David urges us to look back and then look ahead.
We can face the challenges in the future with the clarity that the past gives us.
But David also sets the example for us in the area of gratitude and praise. In the light of God's past-remembered and future-anticipated goodness, David chooses to sacrifice with shouts of joy and music and song.
God has been good to us and He will be good to us.
Let's be sure to offer Him praise.
Especially when we're gathered together as His people on Sunday, but we don't have to wait until then - we can start now!
HALLELUJAH!
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Theo Groeneveld theo@emmanuel.org.za
You can see past EmmDevs at http://emmdev.blogspot.com/
