Derek Smith, Lead Pastor LHBC 

Psalm 27:13-14
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!

Over in Burma, the great missionary Adoniram Judson was lying in a foul jail with 32 lbs. of chains on his ankles, his feet bound to a bamboo pole all because of his preaching the gospel in a hostile place. A fellow prisoner looked at him and said, “Dr. Judson, what about the prospect of the conversion of the heathen?”, with a sneer on his face. His instant reply was, “The prospects are just as bright as the promises of God.” 

Child of God, this is the most difficult season I can ever remember. Fear, anxiety, violence, and societal and political division abound. But we must never forget that the prospects are just as bright as the promises of God! 

David was experiencing a situation very similar to this in Psalm 27. He starts the Psalm by talking about his hardships, but He finishes with a crescendo of praise and trust in the Lord. He expresses an optimism in the midst of great suffering that is refreshing and uncommon. It is so easy in days such as these to take our eyes off Jesus and put them on our circumstances, but if we dwell on our circumstances this leads only to greater fear and worry. Just like David we must declare that the best days are yet to come! Remember, this is always true because of the fact that Jesus is coming again, and His eternal Kingdom will last forever. He will remove the very presence of sin from us and from this world for all time, and we will rest in the perfect love, justice, and righteousness of the Lord forever! 

Trusting God in hardship is much like driving at night in the fog. In order to drive safely at night in fog you must slow down and turn on your low beam lights, because if you turn on your high beams things will get much more difficult. In hardship we must learn to slow down, wait on the Lord, and just obey God with what is right in front of us. That’s what David is talking about here. He tells us to wait on the Lord and let our hearts take courage. A courageous heart is a heart that is bold enough in humility to admit it’s own inadequacies. It takes courage to be humble, and that’s what David means here. Waiting on God, listening to Him, and allowing Him to grow us through adversity is what life is all about. 

Do you believe? I mean, do you really believe that God has got this thing called life under control? Are you willing to wait on the Lord and allow Him to grow you in these days. I need to grow, you need to grow, we all need to grow. As long as there is breath in my lungs God’s work in my life is incomplete, and He tells me every day to crucify the flesh with its passions and desires. That’s a painful experience. Child of God, we will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living, so let’s wait upon Him and trust in His unfailing love to grow us and bring us through. 

PRAYER FOR TODAY:
Father God, I believe in You. I am completely incapable and inadequate to live the life you’ve called me to. I need your abundant grace and mercy. Today, Lord I will wait upon You. I will reflect on Your goodness and listen for Your conviction and counsel. Thank you Jesus, amen. 

MEMORY VERSE OF THE WEEK:
Psalm 46:1
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.