We hope this week's devotional will encourage you in your spiritual walk.
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Psalm 27
1 The Lord is my light and my salvation;
whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold[a]of my life;
of whom shall I be afraid?
2 When evildoers assail me
to devour my flesh—
my adversaries and foes—
they shall stumble and fall.
3 Though an army encamp against me,
my heart shall not fear;
though war rise up against me,
yet I will be confident.
4 One thing I asked of the Lord,
that will I seek after:
to live in the house of the Lord
all the days of my life,
to behold the beauty of the Lord,
and to inquire in his temple.
5 For he will hide me in his shelter
in the day of trouble;
he will conceal me under the cover of his tent;
he will set me high on a rock.
6 Now my head is lifted up
above my enemies all around me,
and I will offer in his tent
sacrifices with shouts of joy;
I will sing and make melody to the Lord.
7 Hear, O Lord, when I cry aloud,
be gracious to me and answer me!
8 “Come,” my heart says, “seek his face!”
Your face, Lord, do I seek.
9 Do not hide your face from me.
Do not turn your servant away in anger,
you who have been my help.
Do not cast me off, do not forsake me,
O God of my salvation!
10 If my father and mother forsake me,
the Lord will take me up.
11 Teach me your way, O Lord,
and lead me on a level path
because of my enemies.
12 Do not give me up to the will of my adversaries,
for false witnesses have risen against me,
and they are breathing out violence.
13 I believe that I shall see 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!
Devotional Thought
As I read this Psalm, I could not stop thinking about the conflict unfolding in Ukraine over the last 10 days. Our brothers and sisters in Christ are sheltering in subway stations, schools basements, or wherever they can find a safe place, as sirens blare and their cities are shelled and under fire. It is now thought that 1.5 million Ukrainians have left the country believing it is better to flee as a refugee than face the devastating realities of war. The Russians who protest against what their leaders are doing are arrested. I have seen the heartbreaking scenes of fathers, brothers, uncles saying goodbye to their families as they send them away to safety whilst they remain to help the Ukrainian defence.
But I have also heard our brothers and sisters share about the goodness of the Lord in the midst of all of this. They tell stories of the resilient hope of the Ukrainian people; of how they have provided food for single mothers, the elderly, the disabled, and others unable to get in supplies; of how they gather for worship in small numbers because even in times of conflict God is good and worthy of praise; of how they are doing multiple round trips a day driving members of their communities to the borders so they can escape what is happening; of how those in neighbouring countries are meeting people at the borders and helping them reach a place of safety where they can find shelter and food; of how they have comforted, wept, laughed, and lamented with those around them.
I wish I could offer you some deep theological insight into how this Psalm speaks to the situation of evil at work in light of the resurrection, but for now, I simply resonate with the Psalmist as he, surrounded by his enemies, cries out to God for help and longs to see the goodness of God at work…and that is okay. Richard Hooker, a 16th Century priest (this is the kind of stuff you learn when you are married to a Church History lecturer) said that sometimes it is best to simply read scripture aloud and allow the Spirit to speak. Today, my heart is heavy and I weep alongside all those who are weeping. May the Spirit speak as we cry out to the Lord for peace, deliverance, and for His goodness to be seen.
Prayer
I want to invite all of you to pause where you are right now and to pray Psalm 27 over everyone involved in the conflict in Ukraine.
Maranatha! Come, Lord Jesus.
Amen