Psalm 27

Robert Frost wrote a beautiful poem entitled “THE ROAD NOT TAKEN”.
“Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim
Because it was grassy and wanted wear,
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I marked the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.”

The year 2013 is for all of us a road not yet traveled. As we stand on the threshold of this New Year significant questions flood our minds: “What will this year bring forth?” “What will happen to our economy?” “Will there be more senseless school shootings?” “What will happen in my family?” “What will happen to my health?” “Will we be safe throughout the year?” “What will God do in my life this year?” “What will our church accomplish this year?”

The mindset with which we approach the year will launch us forth into this gift of time. The directions we follow will determine where we go. We want to take the road that will make all the difference.
Psalm 27 is good foundation of truth for the New Year for it gives us a philosophy with which to travel an unknown road.

I. WE MUST DEAL WITH OUR FEARS OF THE UNKNOWN. “The Lord is my light and my salvation – whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life – of whom shall I be afraid?” (v.1)

Facebook did an interesting thing last week. When you signed on they had “Your year in review” which brought up your life’s events captured in pictures. As we look back this has been a good year for some and a most difficult year for others. But it is a known factor and the New Year is not.

I chose Psalm 27 for this message because it offers us a healthy way to look at the unknown. It is good to establish at the outset that great confidence that cannot be shaken. “The Lord is my light and my salvation.” David is saying, “I have a resource of divine grace and help regardless of what I have to face.” In the first three verses he claims this assurance to face his fears three times. “…whom shall I fear?” “…of whom shall I be afraid?” “…my heart will not fear.”

What are the obstacles this King of Israel faces? They are: “evil men,” “foes,” “an army,” “war,” “trouble.” He is saying, “I know that there is much out there to fear, but I bring to that future a resource that enables me to deal with it.”

We do not know what 2013 will bring to us, but we do know that we can bring to this year the qualities that David expressed. Can you assert with confidence, “The Lord is the stronghold of my life? Regardless of the winds that blow around me, He has a grip on me and I have a grip on him – therefore I begin the walk down this untraveled road with a companion to guide and sustain me through the whole journey.”

Compare our thinking as some saint has expressed it when we depend on ourselves with God’s promises.
We say- It’s impossible. God says- All things are possible with Me.
We- I can’t do it. God- You can do all things through Christ.
We- I’m too tired. God- Come to Me, I will give you rest.
We- I’m always worried and frustrated. God- Cast all your cares on Me.
We- I can’t go on. God- My grace is sufficient for you.
We- I can’t figure things out. God- I will direct your steps.
We- I’m not able. God- I am able.
We- It’s not worth it. God- It will be worth it.
We- I can’t manage. God- I will supply all your needs.
We- I’m afraid. God- I have not given you a spirit of fear.
WE- I don’t have enough faith. God- I’ve given everyone a measure of faith.
WE- I’m not smart enough. God- I give you wisdom.
We- I feel all alone. God- I will never leave you or forsake you.

II. WE MUST FOCUS ON OUR PRIORITY. “One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple. For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle and set me upon a high rock.” (vv.4-6).

David is saying that his main priority will be the reliance upon and development of his spiritual life. For out of this will flow the adequacy to face everything else. Those who will be strong in the Lord in 2013 will be the ones who will live life to the fullest. It is not altogether how long we live, but how much living we put into our years. Did you know that TIME is one of the most valuable things we have? In 1900, the average life span was 47 years. The United States Census reports that medical science has expanded that to an expectancy of 77.5 years for the average male and 81.3 years for the average female. In developing countries, the average life expectancy is 55.

Life expectancy has been figured on a time clock. For those who are 15 it is 10:25 in the morning; 20, it is 11:24; 25, it is 12:42pm; 30, it is 1:51pm; 35, it is 3:00pm; 40, it is 4:08; 45, it is 5:16; 50, it is 6:25; 55, it is 7:34; 60, it is 8:42; 70, it is 11:00pm; and if you are 80, 90, or 100, you are a miracle!
Time is one of the most important things that we have. We have to learn how to prioritize it. You see, it is possible to be caught in the tyranny of the trivial.

Look at what David is saying. Life must have one supreme priority. “One thing I ask of the Lord…” What would be the one thing that you would ask of the Lord? David is not saying that he will pray and sing hymns all day. He is talking about the focus of his life. God will be the center. He will be given first place in his heart. Then the Lord will teach, guide, bless, encourage, strengthen, and show him the path into his days.

In her inspiring book, This I Believe: Personal Philosophies of Remarkable Men and Women, Susan Cosio writes, “I believe I have to remove myself from the voices that barrage me in order to find my true compass. This includes a daily walk just to listen. The guiding light of my life is the still, small voice of the Holy Spirit. In our hectic, noisy world, I have to slow down or withdraw in order to hear it. Prayer, I have discovered, is less about what I say and more about what I hear…

Discerning God’s voice is not so hard when I make time to listen closely. Sometimes I hear it as a sudden insight when I step back from a situation. Other times, it’s a deep sense of my priorities, or a conviction about something I should do or say. I often take a walk with a pencil and notepad in my pocket, and return with notes for a speech or a piece of writing. Later, someone tells me she was moved by the words I’d scribbled on that paper, and I know my prompting came from God.

My pursuit of spiritual truth is not about religion as much as it is about relationship…

I believe in a daily walk to listen because that is when I am close to God, that is when I find my way. And I am most at peace when I tune out the voices of the world long enough to hear the still, small voice of God directing me. “Be still,” Psalm 46 reminds me, “and know that I am God.” [This I Believe: Personal Philosophies of Remarkable Men and Women, “A Daily Walk Just to Listen,” Susan Cosio, (New York: Henry Holt, 2006), 43-45].

Someone has written, “The clock of life is wound but once and no man has the power to say just when the hands will stop – at late or early hour. Now is the only time to do his precious will. Do not wait until tomorrow for the clock may then be still.”

III. WE MUST BE SURE OF WHAT WE KNOW.

I like the King James translation of verses 13 & 14 best. “I had fainted unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord.”

We are living in the midst of a society where traditional faith is no longer strong. It is called the post-Christian era which means that the church no longer has the right or the ability to influence the mores of our culture – except when something shakes our national life. The general rule is that God can’t be called upon in a public forum and no government building can’t be used for religious purposes. This did not matter on Sunday night of last week when even the President spoke in a religious service in a high school auditorium and made references to Jesus four times. The hearts of the nation were broken over the slaughter of the children and teachers. When we are desperate for God’s help the rules don’t matter. We go back to the things of which we are sure.

David said, “I would have fainted and given up and been defeated many times unless I had believed and trusted God to see me through.” The word “wait” here is not so much a time consideration but a statement of dependence of the moment. Faith was the victory.

Joyce Meyer said, “Have you been praying about a situation in your life and found yourself waiting for a breakthrough? Are you wondering why the answer hasn’t come yet? Do you feel as though victory is passing you by?

Sometimes when we pray long and hard about a situation in our life without receiving any answers, we just learn to live with it. We go on about our business, wondering if or when God will send the answer. But God does hear those prayers, and He’s working out the answers even though we may not know all the details. Our situation can change suddenly—quickly without warning!

But one thing is certain: Before God moves suddenly, we will wait. Waiting for answers is a fact of life—nobody gets out of it. So the question is not if we’ll wait, but rather how we’ll wait. And I believe how will determine how long.

All of us will wait passively, or we’ll wait expectantly. A passive person hopes something good will happen and is willing to sit around waiting to see if it does. After a short time, he gives up, saying, “That’s it! I’ve waited and waited and nothing’s happened.” The passive person has a lot of wishbone but not much backbone!

The expectant person, on the other hand, is hopeful, believing the answer is just around the corner, due to arrive any minute. His belief is not a passive thing. His heart is full of hope, expecting his problem to be solved at any moment. He wakes up every morning expecting to find his answer. He may wait and wait, but suddenly what he’s been waiting for happens.”

When we are sure of our relationship to God we can be confident that he will work all things together for our good and his glory.

Which road will you take into the New Year – the road of worry and self dependence or the road of faith and trust? There will be things that will require the very best in us and we could easily faint unless we trust and wait on the Lord.

The world did not end this year as many of the doomsday people expected. We were amazed that people would be attracted to an ancient Mayan prediction rather than to the biblical truths.
But Jesus is coming. His second Advent could be in 2013!

Praise Be To His Name!