UNLESS
Psalm 27:13-14 NKJV
13 I would have lost heart, unless I had believed
That I would see the goodness of the Lord
In the land of the living.
14 Wait on the Lord;
Be of good courage,
And He shall strengthen your heart;
Wait, I say, on the Lord!
Psalm 27 is a favorite of mine. I love how it starts with David declaring that the Lord is his light, salvation, and the strength of his life. Because of that, David is not afraid. In this psalm, David speaks of not being afraid even though war may arise against him. David speaks of dwelling in the house of the Lord, indicating closeness of relationship. He knows that in the time of trouble, God will hide him and protect him. And even when David is abandoned by his father and mother, he knows the Lord will take care of him. There is a lot in that one simple statement. David has more confidence in God than he does in his own mother. The common thought is that there is nothing like the love of a mother, but to David, God’s love is greater.
In our verses for today, I have always appreciated the perspective of David. He was a man who faced adversity for years. He was anointed to be the king of Israel, but that did not happen until thirteen years later. And those were not easy years. Pursued relentlessly by King Saul, who wanted David dead. Having to fight on a regular basis simply to survive. Part of Israel was for David, but he was not accepted by those who were loyal to King Saul. David faced constant pressure. And he would have lost heart unless.
David is honest by saying that the things he faced were discouraging. And he would have given in to discouragement unless he believed something beyond what he was facing. David believed that, despite the disheartening experiences in his life, he would see the goodness of the Lord. David believed that God was good. David believed that God would be better to him than his own parents. David believed that he would see God’s goodness in the land of the living. In other words, he believed that he would see God’s goodness toward him during his lifetime, not simply when he went to heaven. It’s easy to believe in the goodness of God in heaven. It’s a bit more challenging to believe we’ll see it here on earth, particularly in the face of discouraging situations. David, who wrote that surely goodness and mercy would follow him all the days of his life, was confident in the goodness of God.
Verse fourteen is another expression of David’s faith in God. Wait on the Lord and be of good courage. David needed courage to wait on the Lord in the face of adversity and challenge. But if you believe God is good and will be good to you, then you are waiting, not giving up. And in waiting, there is strength. It is no surprise that David was a man of great internal strength. Some of the things he experienced would have caused many people to quit. But David knew who the source of his strength was. The Lord was the strength of his life. So the waiting was waiting with expectancy. When we are not expecting anything good, waiting can be hard. David was not waiting and wondering if God would be good. David was waiting, expecting to see the goodness of the Lord to him in this life.
APPLICATION
Here is a good question. What are you expecting from the Lord? Good? Nothing? Trouble? My assessment is that most people are waiting to see what God does, if anything, not waiting, expecting something good. I don’t make that assessment trying to be negative. Rather, it is seeing so many discouraged. It’s a question worth asking. What am I expecting from the Lord? And what do I need to do to change my expectations to expecting something good? Oral Roberts made many people mad with his simple statement, “Something good is going to happen to you.” Oral probably got that from David.
PRAYER
Lord, help me change my expectations. I don’t want to lose heart, but rather believe I will see Your goodness in my life in this life.