“Hear, O Lord, My Cry” - Psalm 27 (Day 3)
Up to this point in our journey through Psalm 27, David's confidence in the Lord has been rock-solid, expressing itself through courage, celebration, and contemplation. Today, we encounter a vastly different David - one shaken and struggling. He can't sense God's presence or hear His voice. Instead, he's crying out to God. His words feel oddly familiar because his laments have, at times, been our laments. So, before we begin, I want to provide space for you to lament - whether that's asking for direction and guidance, voicing confusion over the circumstances you're facing, or asking God why he feels distant. Whatever your cries might be, feel free to let them out and direct them to the One who cares.
Remembering God’s past goodness helps us place our confidence in His future faithfulness, especially during periods when He feels distant, hidden, inactive or far away. This is why we don’t want to rush past Psalm 27:1-6 but meditate on it and see once again the confidence in God that David displayed. I invite you to follow along in your Bible together. Psalm 27:1-6 says this:
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?
When the wicked advance against me to devour me,
it is my enemies and my foes who will stumble and fall.
Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear;
though war break out against me, even then I will be confident.
One thing I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,
to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple.
For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling;
he will hide me in the shelter of his sacred tent and set me high upon a rock.
Then my head will be exalted above the enemies who surround me;
at his sacred tent I will sacrifice with shouts of joy; I will sing and make music to the Lord.
It makes sense that David, a person described as a man after God's heart, would speak these words and make those declarations. We would expect this to be the case, going as far as foolishly thinking these words came almost effortlessly for David and should for us. But, that's not the case. Notice the drastic shift in David's tone in our focus verses for today. In Psalm 27:7-10 David writes this:
Hear my voice when I call, Lord; be merciful to me and answer me.
My heart says of you, “Seek his face!” Your face, Lord, I will seek.
Do not hide your face from me; do not turn your servant away in anger; you have been my helper.
Do not reject me or forsake me, God my Savior.
Though my father and mother forsake me, the Lord will receive me.
Take a moment to reflect on what we just read quietly:
Are there places in your life where God feels distant or hidden?
Struggle is inevitable and part of the human experience. No one is immune from it - even David had moments where God felt distant and appeared silent. So David pleads with God, lifting up three "do not" prayers: don't hide your face, don't turn your servant away in anger, do not leave me. Sometimes silence can be deafening. We can't remember the last time we heard his voice. We wrestle with the distance while at the same time yearning for that lost connection. Numerous questions roll through our minds, but one that we can't seem to answer is what God is doing by remaining silent. If we're not careful, we can easily mistake silence with inactivity. Yet, even amid those quiet moments, those pains of separation, God is still at work.
Take a moment and consider…WHAT ARE SOME “DO NOT” PRAYERS YOU FIND YOURSELF PRAYING TO GOD?
Let’s read today’s passage slowly one more time:
Hear my voice when I call, Lord; be merciful to me and answer me.
My heart says of you, “Seek his face!” Your face, Lord, I will seek.
Do not hide your face from me; do not turn your servant away in anger; you have been my helper.
Do not reject me or forsake me, God my Savior.
Though my father and mother forsake me, the Lord will receive me.
The enemy wants to leverage uncertainty to cause us to question God's heart and his faithfulness towards us. Yes, we find ourselves vulnerable to temptation, doubt, and dismay during the wavering, but we also can't lose sight of the opportunity before us. David didn't allow God's hiddenness to spark his anger, give up hope, or place more distance between him and God. David did the opposite - he pursued God more fiercely. We must do the same. When God seems silent, it is time for us to be silent before him. During those stretches where God appears distant, it is an invitation to remember he never leaves or forsakes us so we can draw close to him. Understanding that God is our greatest good changes our prayers from asking for things to asking for God.
So, as we begin to wrap up our time together, we want to provide you some space to respond to what we read and maybe to what God is starting to say to you through Psalm 27. First, take a moment to process this question…WHAT IS ONE AREA IN YOUR LIFE WHERE YOU NEED GOD TO CONTINUE WORKING?
Another question to consider is this… WHAT WOULD IT LOOK LIKE FOR YOU TO PURSUE GOD, EVEN WHEN GOD SEEMS SILENT?
PRAYER
Father God,
When You seem far away, may we remind ourselves that You never leave or forsake us.
When You appear silent, may we tune our ears to hear Your still voice and those whispers of grace, love, and forgiveness.
When You feel distant , may we trust that You are still active, faithful, and working behind the scenes for our good.
Through it all, let us pursue You with everything we are.
Amen.