Series: Flowers in the Desert
Psalm 27:11-13 ESV
*Psalm 27:14 ESV
Psalm 27:11-14 MSG
Psalm 27 is a song of David. David was a boy in Saul’s court, and he sang to Saul to soothe his soul. Everyone loved David and over time David grew in popularity in Saul’s court.
While that can be a very good thing, it can be problematic if the person who has narcissistic tendencies is present and realizes someone else is getting more attention.
That would be especially true if the person who IS King has narcissist tendencies.
“King Saul became focused on how events impacted him, and him alone. He ignored the needs of those he led. He became so insecure about David that he spent his energy doing little except trying to destroy David. A bit of attention give(n) to someone else unleashed Saul's narcissistic tendencies.”
Once David had been identified by the King as being a threat to his crown, everything about their relationship drastically changed.
David spent years running from King Saul and his men! We know from I Samuel 20:1-3
“Then David fled from Naioth in Ramah and came and said before Jonathan, “What have I done? What is my guilt? And what is my sin before your father, that he seeks my life?” And he said to him, “Far from it! You shall not die. Behold, my father does nothing either great or small without disclosing it to me. And why should my father hide this from me? It is not so.” David vowed again, saying, “Your father knows well that I have found favor in your eyes, and he thinks, ‘Do not let Jonathan know this, lest he be grieved.’ But truly, as the Lord lives and as your soul lives, there is but a step between me and death.”
Even though Jonathan was Saul’s own son, he vowed to protect David.
From that time on, David was on the run from Saul every day that Saul lived. During that time, David turned to God and relied on God’s guidance and protection.
In Psalm 27 we see the result of the level of emotion and reliance David had for God. In Psalm 27:11-23 we read, “Teach me your way, O Lord, and lead me on a level path because of my enemies.
Give me not up to the will of my adversaries; for false witnesses have risen against me, and they breathe out violence.
I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living!”
David relied completely on God and came to depend on God’s complete protection.
Yet, we also know that being on the run from the very powerful (and determined) King Saul taught David how to watch and wait for God’s guidance.
In Psalm 27:14 David wrote, “Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!”
David learned (the hard way) to rely on the guidance of the Spirit of God.
Many of us are familiar with hymns or scripture choruses written that encourage us to rely on the Spirit.
Breathe on Me, Breath of God is a hymn published in 1886 and written by Edwin Hatch is an old hymn that has a timeless message about the Spirit.
The Lyrics to the song Hatch wrote tell us:
Breathe on me, Breath of God, fill me with life anew, that I may love the way you love, and do what you would do.
Breathe on me, Breath of God, until my heart is pure, until my will is one with yours, to do and to endure.
Breathe on me, Breath of God, so shall I never die, but live with you the perfect life for all eternity.
Who among us has not sought the Spirit of God and God’s guidance on our path?
Psalm 27:11-14 from The Message says,
“Point me down your highway, God; direct me along a well-lighted street; show my enemies whose side you’re on.Don’t throw me to the dogs, those liars who are out to get me, filling the air with their threats.
I’m sure now I’ll see God’s goodness in the exuberant earth.Stay with God! Take heart. Don’t quit.I’ll say it again: Stay with God.”
Stay with God. Look for God’s goodness. Stand with God and receive love and courage.
Today’s desert flower is the delicate Desert Baby’s Breath that is found in the Sinai to Lebanon and in Western Iran. This beautiful yet tiny flower is 1/8 to 1/4 of an inch wide. Even though it’s very small, it is a hearty plant that survives in dry climates. Thought tiny, it stands strong and survives.
Spiritual Practice: Small but Strong
We’ve all been in situations where felt helpless and we needed God’s care and protection. Today, thank God that we can always rely on the Spirit to guide and guard us.
In God, Deborah
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