Psalm 27

Home

Posted on by Betsy

I have a fond memory of a sermon I once heard about the value and comfort of “home.” The pastor described a particularly harrowing day when he was called to a busy hospital Emergency Room to be with a church family whose son had just been killed in a car accident. The son had been riding with another teenager from our church who was in emergency surgery, so the pastor had to do double duty in the waiting room, trying to console the inconsolable parents of the dead boy while attempting to shore up the hope of the parents of the boy in surgery. Many hours into the night later, the surgeons finally came out to tell the hopeful parents that their son had survived and was in recovery. And then the unthinkable happened. It turned out that in the urgency of getting both boys extracted from the car and rushed to the hospital, their identities had been switched. The hopeful parents who had been told their boy was in surgery were now told that it was their boy who lay freezing in the hospital morgue.

I don’t know how anyone gets through nights like those.

The pastor continued in his sermon to talk about the following days and how they unfolded for both families. A funeral was held, the one boy recovered, and everyone was changed by the experience. In his final remarks, the pastor shifted gears and began to talk about the comfort of coming home to his family every night of those gut wrenching days. I recall him saying that as his headlights hit the garage doors when he pulled into his driveway, he felt the release of everything terrible and was able to walk into the warmth of his house, fragrant with the smells of a home cooked meal, and find his equilibrium. He could enjoy the excitement of his kids and his dog running to greet him at the door and felt soothed by the peaceful smile of his wife as she did what she could to unburden him from his heaviness. Home was an instant cure to what ailed him.

Where is home to you? What place or experience enables you to let go of the weight of the day and find shelter, protection, and security? Is home a physical location or a relationship?

For King David, it was the temple. In our psalm today, he expressed his deep longing to be in the house of the Lord where he felt protected and sheltered. We looked at this psalm a few days ago, so let us re-read it with a different focus today.

Psalm 27 (Common English Bible)

The Lord is my light and my salvation.
        Should I fear anyone?
    The Lord is a fortress protecting my life.
        Should I be frightened of anything?

It is unusual to see the word “light” in a direct application to God in the Old Testament. We see so many applications of light directly pointing to Jesus in the New Testament, especially in the book of John. Here, David prophetically perceives the light, salvation, and strength of God which will be made manifest in the life of Jesus. Jesus is our true home, our one light, and our forever fortress.

4     I have asked one thing from the Lord—
    it’s all I seek:
        to live in the Lord’s house all the days of my life,
        seeing the Lord’s beauty
        and constantly adoring his temple.
5 Because he will shelter me in his own dwelling
    during troubling times;
    he will hide me in a secret place in his own tent;
        he will set me up high, safe on a rock.

This visual picture of being set up high on a rock is especially fitting for Israel and the rocky hills that surround the desert. During pilgrimages to the Temple, bandits would wait atop the rocks to jump down and rob the pilgrims. Being set higher than those outcroppings meant that nobody could assault David from a hidden precipice. David could see everything from his safe perch on the highest rock.

6 Now my head is higher than the enemies surrounding me,
    and I will offer sacrifices in God’s tent—
        sacrifices with shouts of joy!
    I will sing and praise the Lord.

Responding to God’s safe haven with shouts of joy and songs of praise is the least we can do. Has God ever saved you from something terrible? Does he keep your chin lifted up in times of trouble? Sing praises!

7 Lord, listen to my voice when I cry out—
    have mercy on me and answer me!
8 Come, my heart says, seek God’s face.
    Lord, I do seek your face!
9 Please don’t hide it from me!
    Don’t push your servant aside angrily—
        you have been my help!
    God who saves me,
        don’t neglect me!
        Don’t leave me all alone!

This last section is a call to seek God’s face in every season of life. David sought God and spent a great deal of time in his presence. He never felt left alone because he knew all he had to do was seek God and God would be present. Those who seek God will be the beneficiaries of his special blessing and protection.

Like coming home, God is always there, waiting to console and comfort. Won’t you come home to Jesus today?

Home

One Thing

Posted on by Betsy

If you had one thing you could ask of God, what would it be? Now mind you, this question comes with the same constraints as the genie in the bottle, so you can’t ask for more wishes to be granted. Some of us would ask for financial relief and wealth, so that money would no longer be an issue. Some of us would ask for a miracle cure for ourselves or a loved one who was dealing with a terminal illness. Some of us might ask for an impossible reconciliation to be granted with an estranged loved one. Some might ask for material things.

David asked to be allowed to enter God’s home.

In our psalm today, David made it clear that the only thing he wants, needs, and seeks is to live with God for the rest of his life. It is a good ask, when you think about it. In God’s house, all riches are ours and economic insecurity does not exist. All illnesses vanish and we are made whole. Every relationship is restored in heaven, so there is no estrangement. And all material needs are met daily, so we never go without. It is a good ask!

Psalm 27 (Common English Bible)

    I have asked one thing from the Lord—
    it’s all I seek:
        to live in the Lord’s house all the days of my life,
        seeing the Lord’s beauty
        and constantly adoring his temple.
5 Because he will shelter me in his own dwelling
    during troubling times;
    he will hide me in a secret place in his own tent;
        he will set me up high, safe on a rock.

David was always in some kind of trouble, and while we don’t know the exact dating of this psalm, we can intuit that he was under siege once again from an enemy and longed for the protection of God’s shelter. Do you ever feel that way in troubled times? I feel that way every day when I wake up and read the news. Our present generation has never lived in such troubled times and I, for one, long for the shelter of God’s secret place. Deliver us, Lord!

6 Now my head is higher than the enemies surrounding me,
    and I will offer sacrifices in God’s tent—
        sacrifices with shouts of joy!
    I will sing and praise the Lord.

7 Lord, listen to my voice when I cry out—
    have mercy on me and answer me!
8 Come, my heart says, seek God’s face.
    Lord, I do seek your face!
9 Please don’t hide it from me!
    Don’t push your servant aside angrily—
        you have been my help!
    God who saves me,
        don’t neglect me!
        Don’t leave me all alone!

Here is the good news. There is never a situation or circumstance that would cause God to not hear you when you cry out. There is never a time or reason why God would hide God’s face from you. There is nothing you can possibly do that would cause God to neglect you or leave you alone. Remember what Paul wrote in Romans 8:

Romans 8 (Common English Bible)

31 So what are we going to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us? 32 He didn’t spare his own Son but gave him up for us all. Won’t he also freely give us all things with him?

33 Who will bring a charge against God’s elect people? It is God who acquits them. 34 Who is going to convict them? It is Christ Jesus who died, even more, who was raised, and who also is at God’s right side. It is Christ Jesus who also pleads our case for us.

35 Who will separate us from Christ’s love? Will we be separated by trouble, or distress, or harassment, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 36 As it is written,

We are being put to death all day long for your sake.
    We are treated like sheep for slaughter.

37 But in all these things we win a sweeping victory through the one who loved us. 38 I’m convinced that nothing can separate us from God’s love in Christ Jesus our Lord: not death or life, not angels or rulers, not present things or future things, not powers 39 or height or depth, or any other thing that is created.

If God is for us, who can be against us?

Amen.

The Secret Place by Kathy Schumacher

Sanctuary

Posted on by Betsy

Where do you go when you don’t feel safe? For some, that place is home. I chatted with a friend the other day and she talked about people coming to her door unannounced. This is something that truly bothers her: Her home is her safe place, a fortress of comfort and security, and intrusions like someone knocking on the door are problematic for her. I feel exactly the same way.

For others, the sanctity of family, a deep friendship, or a happy marriage provide refuge in times of trouble. When you find yourself picking up your phone in stressful times to call or text, that person on the other end of the phone truly can be a bright light of salvation for you.

Every church has a special place called the “sanctuary” where worship is held, and God is encountered. Many of us know to flee to church when we feel we are under assault. From the root word sanctify, or holy place, sanctuaries over time became places of refuge and protection for persecuted people. Pardon my word nerdiness, but take a look at this excerpt from Etymology Online:

Since the time of Constantine and by medieval Church law, fugitives or debtors enjoyed immunity from arrest and ordinary operations of the law in certain churches, hence its use by mid-14. of churches or other holy places with a view to their inviolability. The transferred sense of “immunity from punishment by virtue of having taken refuge in a church or similar building” is by early 15c., also of the right to such. (Exceptions were made in England in cases of treason and sacrilege.)

The general (non-ecclesiastical) sense of “place of refuge or protection” is attested from 1560s; as “land set aside for wild plants or animals to breed and live” it is recorded by 1879 in reference to the American bison.

Even the bison have a place of sanctuary! So, too, have we.

Psalm 27 (Common English Bible)
The Lord is my light and my salvation.
        Should I fear anyone?
    The Lord is a fortress protecting my life.
        Should I be frightened of anything?
2 When evildoers come at me trying to eat me up—
    it’s they, my foes and my enemies,
    who stumble and fall!

All of us have some type of foe or enemy. David had entire nations of enemies rising up against Israel in war. Ours our probably more local: the neighbor who disrespects boundaries, the Facebook poster who disrespects your opinion, the ex-spouse who disrespects you in front of the kids, etc. But David reminds us to not be afraid because we can trust in the Lord and look forward to that time when we abide with him in his house where we will all get along. Heaven is our ultimate sanctuary. And do you know what won’t be part of heaven? Facebook.

3 If an army camps against me,
        my heart won’t be afraid.
    If war comes up against me,
        I will continue to trust in this:
4     I have asked one thing from the Lord—
    it’s all I seek:
        to live in the Lord’s house all the days of my life,
        seeing the Lord’s beauty
        and constantly adoring his temple.
5 Because he will shelter me in his own dwelling
    during troubling times;
    he will hide me in a secret place in his own tent;
        he will set me up high, safe on a rock.

Are you fleeing from trouble? Do you feel unsafe? Is there a danger knocking on your door making you feel uneasy? You know where to go.

11 Lord, teach me your way;
    because of my opponents, lead me on a good path.
12 Don’t give me over to the desires of my enemies,
    because false witnesses and violent accusers
    have taken their stand against me.
13 But I have sure faith
    that I will experience the Lord’s goodness
    in the land of the living!

Lord, teach us your ways and lead us to a safe haven. Bring us to that place of your goodness in the land of the living! We shall not fear if you abide with us.

14 Hope in the Lord!
    Be strong! Let your heart take courage!
        Hope in the Lord!

Be strong.

Safe Place by Becca Ziegler

In the Day of Trouble

Posted on by Betsy

Once upon a time there was a ginormous pig who escaped her yard and went on an escapade all over Kitty Hawk Village. Over the hills, through the woods, and onto the very curvy road she went. She startled me as I came around a bend on my way to my office, and I saw a pickup truck going too fast that almost hit her. In his defense, nobody would have expected a 300+ pound pig to be smack in the middle of the road. I quickly parked at the police station and jumped out of my van. From there I proceeded on foot in what we cops call “hot pursuit.” She seemed intrigued by my efforts and slowed down as I followed her in and out of people’s yards,. To be honest, she wasn’t moving very fast. So, I started to call, “Suuuu-EEE! Suuuu-EEE.” I don’t even know what that means. I might have thrown a little “here Piggy, Piggy” in for good measure.

Surprisingly, this lovely gentle giant turned and sauntered over to me, so I walked her back to the police station, stopping traffic on the busy road as we crossed it. What else was I going to do with a lost pig?

I opened the door and called into the receptionist that I was here to report a rogue pig. She probably thought I had just come from the Black Pelican bar and had been over-served. But when the pig snorted loudly behind me, she came out for a look. This pig was obviously well loved at home because she nuzzled us like a dog and enjoyed a good ear rub. As you can see, she even posed for pictures. What a ham!

An officer came out and said, “Caroline, what are you doing here? Did you take yourself for a walk again?” It turns out that Caroline lives in the big yard behind the police station and he was able to walk her home.

Not to sound like a hero or anything, but I did save her bacon that day.

Do you know that God wants to save you, too? In the day of trouble, God will pursue you as you are wandering away from him. He won’t let you out of his sight until you come home safely into the house of the Lord:

Psalm 27 (New International Version)

One thing I ask from the Lord,
    this only do I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord
    all the days of my life,
to gaze on the beauty of the Lord
    and to seek him in his temple

5 For in the day of trouble
    he will keep me safe in his dwelling;
he will hide me in the shelter of his sacred tent
    and set me high upon a rock.

Are you running away? Are you feeling unsafe and untethered? No matter what the reason is, whether the situation you are facing is a result of your bad choices or your enemies pursuing you, God offers the safety of his tent:

6 Then my head will be exalted
    above the enemies who surround me;
at his sacred tent I will sacrifice with shouts of joy;
    I will sing and make music to the Lord.

Caroline was wise enough to come when she heard the voice of her rescuer. I pray that in your day of trouble, you will seek God’s face and listen to his voice. He will come, and he will be merciful.

7 Hear my voice when I call, Lord;
    be merciful to me and answer me.
8 My heart says of you, “Seek his face!”
    Your face, Lord, I will seek.
9 Do not hide your face from me,
    do not turn your servant away in anger;
    you have been my helper.
Do not reject me or forsake me,
    God my Savior.

God is your Savior, and you will be saved. Thanks be to God!

I told you she was big!

Fear Not

Posted on by Betsy

Last week, my friend and I were walking our dogs on a beautiful day on my beautiful street bordered by beautiful canals when a bicyclist passed us from behind. Our chatter continued, mostly along the lines of the warmth of the sun, the promise of spring, and when the ospreys might return to their Colington nests. The bicyclist returned, facing us this time, and I noticed that his neon green teeshirt bore an important message:

Fear Not.

“Fear not” is a phrase found often in the Bible, spoken by God to the people of Israel in times of great distress, and by Jesus to his followers as they encountered opposition, storms, and confusion. “Fear not” are the words often spoken by angels and messengers to the people they startled and terrified when they appeared.

Fear not. What does that say to you today?

As the war in Europe enters a second week, it is a message I wish we could send to the bold people of Ukraine. The images coming out of that region are horrific. Over one million men, woman, and children are now war refugees. Countless lives have been lost, there is massive destruction of property, and Putin’s evil agenda seems to have no stopping point. When will it end? How will it end?

Into this moment, Psalm 27 appears. It is a long one. As you read it, offer God your fears. Offer God your worries. Offer God your troubles. And pray for the people in Ukraine and Russia who are caught in this madness.

Psalm 27 (Common English Bible)

The Lord is my light and my salvation.
        Should I fear anyone?
    The Lord is a fortress protecting my life.
        Should I be frightened of anything?
2 When evildoers come at me trying to eat me up—
    it’s they, my foes and my enemies,
    who stumble and fall!
3 If an army camps against me,
        my heart won’t be afraid.
    If war comes up against me,
        I will continue to trust in this:
4     I have asked one thing from the Lord—
    it’s all I seek:
        to live in the Lord’s house all the days of my life,
        seeing the Lord’s beauty
        and constantly adoring his temple.
5 Because he will shelter me in his own dwelling
    during troubling times;
    he will hide me in a secret place in his own tent;
        he will set me up high, safe on a rock.

6 Now my head is higher than the enemies surrounding me,
    and I will offer sacrifices in God’s tent—
        sacrifices with shouts of joy!
    I will sing and praise the Lord.

7 Lord, listen to my voice when I cry out—
    have mercy on me and answer me!
8 Come, my heart says, seek God’s face.
    Lord, I do seek your face!
9 Please don’t hide it from me!
    Don’t push your servant aside angrily—
        you have been my help!
    God who saves me,
        don’t neglect me!
        Don’t leave me all alone!
10 Even if my father and mother left me all alone,
    the Lord would take me in.
11 Lord, teach me your way;
    because of my opponents, lead me on a good path.
12 Don’t give me over to the desires of my enemies,
    because false witnesses and violent accusers
    have taken their stand against me.
13 But I have sure faith
    that I will experience the Lord’s goodness
    in the land of the living!

Our hope is in you, and you alone, Lord.
Lord in your mercy, hear our prayers.

14 Hope in the Lord!
    Be strong! Let your heart take courage!
        Hope in the Lord!

New Day by Michelle Robertson

Peaches’ Bone

Posted on by Betsy

We have a staff dog named Peaches at my church. She is a little mixed breed who is always happy to see us as we come through the door. (Except for one staff member, who keeps threatening to send her to the pound. We think he’s joking, but Peaches isn’t taking any chances.) She barks until she ascertains that you belong there; then she offers her small, warm tummy for free rubs.

Peaches attends staff meetings, and it’s good to have her there if the conversation gets tense, WHICH OF COURSE IT NEVER DOES BECAUSE WE ARE A CHURCH STAFF. (OK, well hardly ever.) She goes around the room as we talk, and helps herself to a piece of the couch that seems the friendliest. Soon enough, the staff member seated there will find themselves with lap full of Peaches. There is nothing better in a meeting than the warmth of a happy little dog.

Peaches has taken to hiding her bone in the chair in my office. My office is located in the back of the building, farthest from the busy front area. I discovered her hiding place one Sunday when I was meeting with a prospective church member. I was focused on greeting him, and when I sat down, I did not expect a sharp poke in my lower back. It was a Princess and the Pea moment. As I dug through the back of the cushion, I discovered Peaches’ bone. Now I look before I sit. I’m not sure who Peaches is hiding her bones from, as nobody on the staff really wants one. But Peaches understands the value of a good hiding place.

Psalm 27

One thing I ask from the Lord,
    this only do I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord
    all the days of my life,
to gaze on the beauty of the Lord
    and to seek him in his temple.

5 For in the day of trouble
    he will keep me safe in his dwelling;
he will hide me in the shelter of his sacred tent
    and set me high upon a rock.

It is good to know that on the day of trouble, God is our hiding place. He will keep us safe from harm in his dwelling. He will set us upon a high rock where we can spot trouble coming from a long way off.

Worship happens in the house of the Lord in places commonly referred to as sanctuaries. For one hour a week, God offers a place of refuge and respite from the trouble that the world gives. We have a brief sabbath from the normal routine when we get to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and hopefully think of nothing else.

As important as that one hour is, God’s dwelling is everywhere, and the shelter of his sacred tent is available at any moment of any troubled day. HE is our hiding place. When we open scripture or go to him in prayer, we enter into his temple, where peace and safety abide.

What is troubling you today? What do you wish to hide from so that you might catch your breath and regenerate? When hard times come, it is good to know where to turn. God is your rock, your salvation, and your 24/7 sanctuary. Flee to him in your time of trouble. His door is always open.

Peaches and Her Hiding Place by Amy Berge

When the Sound Returns

Posted on by Betsy

Winds and storms in the Outer Banks are notorious for causing flooding. As my hairdresser explained while holding up a comb, “the Outer Banks are as thin as this comb, with the huge ocean on one side and the huge sound on the other…it is literally THIS thin!” she exclaimed. Indeed, there are parts of Highway 12 south on Hatteras Island where you could throw a football with your feet in the water of one and hit the water in the other. At high tide. If you play for the NFL.

The dynamics of this ribbon of land between two massive bodies of water are especially heightened during hurricanes, Nor’easters, and large storms. The winds are capable of literally pushing the water out of the sound to the point where you can walk across its muddy bottom. The Albemarle and Pamlico sounds are 2,900 square miles of water fed by ten major rivers and numerous creeks. They are large enough that in certain locations, you can stand at one of the few points on the East Coast where you have unobstructed views of the sun setting into water with no land in sight. In fact, the Spanish explorer Giovanni da Verrazzano mistook the Pamlico Sound for the Pacific Ocean when he arrived here. It’s that big.

So the conundrum of the winds pushing all the water out during a storm is this: When it returns, it can come back with such force that it will create massive sound-side floods and high water that can cause more damage than the storm itself.

This is the way we live. This has been part of the cost of the beauty of our location for centuries. We know how it works, and we wait, often for days. I read a meme on Face Book recently that said, “Waiting for a hurricane is like being stalked by a turtle.” It is the not-knowingness of the situation that will slap wear you out.

I think this echoes what many people experience in other ways. A test result is suspicious, so further testing must be done. Wait. A spouse has been unfaithful, and the couple doesn’t know if divorce will be the answer. Wait. A terminal diagnosis has been given, with a two-to-four year life sentence. Wait. A young woman receives an engagement ring and begins to plan her wedding and dreams of her married life. Wait. Another finds out she is pregnant. Wait. A military family sends their service member off for months to an unknown destination. Wait.

Psalm 27 (NRSV)

13 I remain confident of this:

    I will see the goodness of the Lord

    in the land of the living.

14 Wait for the Lord;

    be strong and take heart

    and wait for the Lord.

David’s assurance that he would see goodness in the land of the living is a pretty bold statement, considering the fighting going on all around him and the fervor with which his enemies were pursuing him. Just a few sentences earlier, he describes his situation this way:

2 When the wicked advance against me

    to devour me,

it is my enemies and my foes

    who will stumble and fall.

3  Though an army besiege me,

    my heart will not fear;

though war break out against me,

    even then I will be confident.

I would say he was under a fair amount of stress, wouldn’t you? Yet he counsels us to wait for the Lord, be strong, take heart, and WAIT. How can David be so sure? Because David was a man after God’s own heart. He knew the Lord, loved the Lord, danced for the Lord, and had a lot of experience in waiting and being delivered.

So while you wait, do not fear. In this in-between time of not-knowingness, don’t let your heart be troubled, and neither let it be afraid. God is mightier than the besieging army, faster than your foes, and stronger than the Albemarle and Pamlico Sounds combined. When the Sound returns, you will see the goodness of the Lord.

The Pamlico Sound bottom, waiting for the water’s return. Photo by Tim Fitch.