Daily Dwelling

Psalm 27: 13-14 says, “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.”

From beginning to end, this psalm is filled with “evildoers” and “adversaries” and “foes” and “enemies” and “false witnesses.” David was experiencing real adversity, but he held on to what he knew to be true. David’s words here are a constant reminder to us that we must keep our eyes on the Lord. In the midst of chaos, heartbreak, loss, anger, hurt, or any of the other things life will throw at us, we WILL see the goodness of the Lord!

In seasons where we are forced to wait on the Lord, it can be easy to lose heart. It can be tempting to give up all hope of God being near to us and being sovereign over it all. We ask questions like: Lord do you not hear my prayers? Why would you want me to go through another loss? Are you even here with me? But we must also ask ourselves, what does God’s word tell us to be true?

God is sovereign (Ephesians 1:11-12). God is always compassionate (Lamentations 3:22). God is faithful (Psalm 100:5). God has done and will continue to do amazing things. He is the Good Shepherd who walks with us through our darkest valleys (Psalm 23).

David was able to choose what to believe in a moment of panic, fear, and confusion as he was being sought after by his enemies. He was able to allow truth to infiltrate his mind instead of his own irrational fear or lies from the enemy. What is your first reaction when you are tempted to be anxious? Do you open God’s word and sit in the presence of the one sustaining everything? Or do you distract yourself by keeping yourself busy? Maybe you’re someone who is constantly allowing the enemy a seat at your table.

Louie Giglio has an incredible book called Don’t Give the Enemy a Seat at Your Table. He talks about this idea that in Psalm 23:5 the table is intended to only have two seats. One for us and one for the Lord. The enemy, Satan, prowls around like a lion seeking to devour us. He is not supposed to have a seat at our table. Many times, in Satan’s attempt to lie his way in to our minds, we give him control of our lives. He then causes our minds to spin out of control and it is our responsibility to manage who is sitting at our table.

So in all seasons, blissful or sorrowful may we seek to see the goodness of God because it is here! His goodness never flees. We must choose what to use our time pursuing and whose voice we listen to.