When we despair of our current struggles, we are forgetting the faithfulness of God. But David says, "Get out of that by looking back at how God intervened in your life in the past."
In Psalm 27, David puts this into practice and turns his fear into courage as he remembers the past. He recalls how God forgave all his sins and brought light into his darkness. Because David had experienced the faithfulness of God firsthand, he knew deep down that God could never reject him nor forsake him. So he waited on the Lord, being confident that God would come through for him.
When you remind yourself of God's faithfulness, you cannot help but be uplifted.
Whether you have faced health challenges and God has come in and given you strength, whether you have faced business problems, relationship problems, or financial problems—wherever you have been and, there, God has come and intervened in your life—when you look back at those moments in the past, they will encourage you.
When you remind yourself of God's faithfulness, you cannot help but be uplifted, and that is exactly what David is saying: "The Lord is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear?" (Psalm 27:1). The word "salvation" here also can be translated "delivered." The psalmist is saying, "Because God delivered me before, I fear not the present. Because God was a stronghold for me in the past, I do not fear the future. Because God acted on my behalf in the past, no matter how bleak it may look, He will act on my behalf in the future."
Like David, when we look back in Scripture, we see God unfold His faithful plan to bring peace and salvation to us. Like David, we remember. We remember that Jesus saved us and is preparing a place for us even now.
Prayer: Lord, thank You for Your faithfulness to me in the past. Help me to remember daily the work that You have done in my life so that I can live confidently, trusting in Your sovereign and loving purposes. I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.
"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" (Psalm 27:13-14).
Learn more in Dr. Michael Youssef's sermon Identifying with the Psalmist, Part 1: LISTEN NOW
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