Reading the Word

Psalm 27:7–14 (ESV)

⁷ Hear, O Lord, when I cry aloud; be gracious to me and answer me! ⁸ You have said, “Seek my face.” My heart says to you, “Your face, Lord, do I seek.” ⁹ Hide not your face from me. Turn not your servant away in anger, O you who have been my help. Cast me not off; forsake me not, O God of my salvation! ¹⁰ For my father and my mother have forsaken me, but the Lord will take me in. ¹¹ Teach me your way, O Lord, and lead me on a level path because of my enemies. ¹² Give me not up to the will of my adversaries; for false witnesses have risen against me, and they breathe out violence. ¹³ I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living! ¹⁴ Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!

Understanding and Applying the Word

What do you do when the world has turned on you? What if even father and mother turn on you (v. 10)? In this psalm, David calls out to God to not cast him away. He can bear all others turning on him, but not God. It is God’s face that David seeks. That is the one thing that he cannot bear to lose.

Like David, those who trust in God and long to see him will. God has promised that those who trust in his word and place their faith in Jesus Christ will have eternal life in the presence of God. Just as David says “I believe I shall look upon the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living”, believers today can confidently say the same. So, when the world is turned against us, let us remember that it is God’s face that we seek above all else and let us wait for the Lord who promises to save his people.

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