Today we’ll expound one of my favorite passages of Scripture:

Psalm 27:14 Wait on the Lord, be of good courage, and He shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord.

Christians, We All Need To Learn
How To Wait On God

Pastor Adrian Rogers once said, “You can save a lot of time by waiting on God”. That is such a true statement.

But what does it mean to “wait”?
Does it mean to do nothing?
To just sit at attention until God tells me what to do?

As a nation we have been in a state of “waiting” since March of this year because of the Coronavirus. Most of the local Churches in America shut down at some point as United States citizens were commanded by Governors to quarantine ourselves at home. “Safer at home” became a familiar buzz word, found both on the Internet and on television in advertisements. Citizens were commanded to give up their freedom in order to “flatten the curve” of the Coronavirus. We at Riverview shut down our services for two weeks in respect for our Christian Governor Bill Lee. Our Governor has been respectful of our First Amendment rights. The Governor of California has not been respectful, but has shut down Churches while allowing “essential” businesses to continue unhindered. This past Sunday Pastor John MacArthur of Grace Community Church in unison with the elders of that Church stated that they would not obey the state mandated ban on services. The Pastor quoted the Apostles who were commanded by the state not to preach:

Acts 5:29 … We ought to obey God rather than men.

The elders of Grace Community released a statement, saying:

““Christ is the one true head of His church. For that preeminent reason, we cannot accept and will not bow to the intrusive restrictions government officials now want to impose on our congregation. We offer this response without rancor, and not out of hearts that are combative or rebellious (1 Timothy 2:1-8; 1 Peter 2:13-17), but with a sobering awareness that we must answer to the Lord Jesus for the stewardship He has given to us as shepherds of His precious flock,” the statement said. “To government officials, we respectfully say with the apostles, ‘Whether it is right in the sight of God to give heed to you rather than to God, you be the judge’ (Acts 4:19). And our unhesitating reply to that question is the same as the apostles’: ‘We must obey God rather than men’ (Acts 5:29).”

To Wait On The Lord Is To
Put Him Above All Others

Beloved, this is an example of “waiting” on God. We “wait” on God when we honor Him, and serve Him above all others. In our Psalm today King David writes:

Psalm 27:4 One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after; that I may DWELL IN THE HOUSE OF THE LORD ALL THE DAYS OF MY LIFE, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to enquire in his temple.

Word Study Some commentators define “house of the Lord” as either the Tabernacle, the Temple, or the Church building. I do not think this is a good definition. David was the King of Israel, and said “the one thing I asked the Lord to help me do is to DWELL in the house of the Lord”. The word translated “DWELL” is the Hebrew יָשַׁב yâshab, {pronounced yaw-shab’” which means “to remain in, to inhabit, to have my abode in, to abide or rest in”. If David was referring to the Temple then he would have been asking God to let him stay in the Tabernacle all the time, for David said he wanted to yâshab “ALL THE DAYS of MY LIFE”.

David was King over Israel. He cannot do what God has called him to do by staying in the Tabernacle forever.

As King, David must go out with His men to fight battles as God has so commanded. As King, David must go and issue ruling and judgments from his throne. The King has many duties. He can certainly go to Tabernacle to worship the Lord, but cannot do so “all the days of my life”. That is a physical impossibility.

So what is David referring to. The phrase “house of” is found some 880 times in the Bible, 25 of which are in the Psalms. Many times in scripture “house of” refers to a physical dwelling. However, There are other times when it refers to a dynasty or a ruling, to be under the authority of another.

When God called David to be King over Saul, the latter was not so quick to give up his throne. The Bible says:

2 Samuel 3:1 Now there was long war between the HOUSE OF SAUL and the HOUSE OF DAVID: but David waxed stronger and stronger, and the house of Saul waxed weaker and weaker.

Those who recognized the God given authority of David as King were in battle against those who submitted to Saul as King. “House of” is a reference to authority.

Later in history when David and his son Solomon went to be with the Lord in Heaven, David’s grandson Rehoboam ruled Israel. Rehoboam made very bad diplomatic decisions, so bad that they caused ten of Israel’s tribes to walk away from Rehoboam. The Bible says:

1 Kings 12:19 So Israel {the ten northern tribes} rebelled against THE HOUSE OF DAVID unto this day.

Though David was no longer ruling, Rehoboam occupied the throne as a descendant of King David. The throne was therefore called “the house of David”. This is no reference to the Tabernacle or the Temple, but a reference to the God given RULE. In the New Testament the individual Christian and the gathering of Christians we call the “Church” is under the “house of Christ”. We read:

Hebrews 3:5-6 … Moses verily was faithful in all his house, as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken after; 6 but CHRIST AS A SON OVER HIS OWN HOUSE; WHOSE HOUSE ARE WE, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end.

If you are a Christian indeed, you are “of the HOUSE of CHRIST”. We are citizens of His Kingdom. What King David was asking God to do for Him:

Psalm 27:4 … that I may DWELL IN THE HOUSE OF THE LORD all the days of my life

was that God would rule David as David ruled Israel. This same heart was in Solomon when he prayed and asked the Lord:

1 Kings 3:7-10 … And now, O Lord my God, thou hast made thy servant king instead of David my father: and I am but a little child: I know not how to go out or come in. 8 And thy servant is in the midst of thy people which thou hast chosen, a great people, that cannot be numbered nor counted for multitude. 9 Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this thy so great a people? 10 And the speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing.

David wanted – and prayed that – God would guide his heart and his hand, that he would NEVER fail the Lord. This is a wonderful prayer that every believer should pray. When we ask God to rule our lives – and we willingly follow Him as “King of Kings and Lord of Lords” (Revelation 19:16; Deuteronomy 10:17; Psalm 136:3; Daniel 2:47; 1 Timothy 6:15, et al) – then God blesses us.

To Wait On The Lord Is To
Hear & Obediently Do His Word

Psalm 27:1 The Lord is my LIGHT and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?

David prayed that God would rule him as he ruled Israel. This is a beautiful prayer, and a request that I know please God. David said that YAHWEH is:

• “The LORD is my LIGHT”. When God is present with His people, God brings us LIGHT. The Scripture says:

1 John 1:4-6 And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full. 5 This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:

When God is present with us, we always walk in light, because God is Light. His way is always right. If we are walking in sin we are not walking with God. If we are walking contrary to God’s way, we are not walking with God. What God has said is true is ALWAYS true, no matter what the world may say. Our Heavenly Father loves us, and gives us good things when we walk with Him. The Bible says:

James 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.

You cannot walk in the Light of God if you will not read and heed His WORD, the Holy Scripture. The Old Testament directions of God are “light”.

Proverbs 6:23 … For the commandment is a LAMP; and the law is LIGHT;

What God has said in His Bible gives us light, so that we can live in His presence and under His will. When the Coronavirus hit our nation one of the largest search engines called “Google” noted a fifty percent increase of those searching for instruction on “prayer”. In July of 2020 the American Bible Society stated:

“In 2019, over one-third of American adults (35%) said that realistically they never use the Bible outside of a large church service. In January [2020], that number was statistically unchanged. However, by June of 2020, that proportion had fallen to 31%. The proportion of Americans who use the Bible daily also fell to fewer than one in ten (9%), the lowest number on record during the ten years of the State of the Bible research study.”

The Scripture tells us in Psalm 119:105, “Thy word {O God} is a LAMP unto my feet, and a LIGHT unto my path.” It is the Holy Word of God that establishes the normal Christian life. It is God’s Scripture – His written Word – that draws us to where He is.

Psalm 43:3 O {Lord}, send out thy light and thy truth: let them lead me; let them bring me unto thy holy hill, and to thy tabernacles.

When Jesus Christ walked this earth, He was the Light of God. Jesus was the Light shining in darkness (John 1:5), misunderstood by the world. Jesus said:

John 8:12 … I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. (also, John 9:5)

When Jesus prepared to leave this world, He promised to send “the Spirit of truth”, the Holy Spirit of God to those who believe on Him. The Spirit of truth “dwelleth with you, and shall be in you” (John 14:17). The Spirit of truth “testifies of Jesus” (John 15:26). This Holy Spirit “will guide you into all truth” (John 16:13). Christ gave us of His Spirit so that we can learn of God’s truth, the Word contained in the Holy Scripture.

King David not only had access to the Word of God, but he cherished it. He sought God’s guidance in that blessed written Word. The Lord was David’s “Light”. David also uses another term to refer to Yahweh:

Psalm 27:1 The Lord is my light and my SALVATION

• “The LORD is my SALVATION”. David had a Savior in the Lord Who was his Light. God spoke through the Prophet, saying:

Isaiah 45:21 … there is no God else beside me; a just God and a Savior; there is none beside me.

When Jesus Christ was “begotten” into this world, Eternal God born of a virgin, the Angel said:

Luke 2:11 … unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.

Yahweh took upon Himself humanity. Christ is the Savior of the world (John 4:42). In a dream the Angel of God told Joseph, Mary’s husband:

Matthew 1:20-21 … fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. 21 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save HIS PEOPLE from their sins.

Because David acknowledged the God of Scripture as his Lord and Master, David was saved from His sins. When Christ Jesus is the Lord of your life, and you are members of His Kingdom:

Colossians 1:13 … delivered from the power of darkness, translated into the Kingdom of God’s dear Son (my paraphrase),

then God is indeed your Savior. There are many false teachers today who proclaim that you can be saved by faith in Christ, and yet not be under the authority of that same Christ. This is patently un-Scriptural. It is like the dogmas of penance and Purgatory, foolish concepts taught no where in Scripture. That great Theologian A.W. Tozer wrote:

“No Christian believer should ever forget what the Bible says about the Person and the offices of the eternal Son, the Christ of God. “God hath made this same Jesus whom ye have crucified both Lord and Christ” (Acts 2:36). Jesus means Savior; Lord means Sovereign; Christ means Anointed One. The apostle Peter did not proclaim Jesus only as Savior; he preached to them Jesus as Lord and Christ and Savior, never dividing His Person or His offices. Remember, also, the declaration of Paul: “If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, thou shalt be saved.” Three times in the passage to the Roman Christians telling how to be saved, Paul calls Jesus “Lord.” He says that faith in the Lord Jesus plus confession of that faith to the world brings salvation to us!”

When we are submitted to the Kingdom and Rulership of Christ our Lord, we need not fear our enemies. If God is my General, and I His troop, He will insure that I am protected so that I can fulfill His Will. David testified:

Psalm 27:2-3 … When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell. 3 Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident.

• The LORD is my hiding place, my refuge from my enemies. When David faced the fiercest of enemies, even those who wanted to “eat up his flesh” like wild beasts, David trusted in the Lord. Resting in Jesus, David commanded his heart to do three things:

1. “whom shall I fear?” (verse 1). David commanded his soul to “FEAR (יָרֵא yârêʼ, pronounced yaw-ray’) NOT”. If you are walking in the will of God, heeding His Word and doing as He says, fear is not to be your companion.

To Abraham God said, “Fear Not” (Genesis 15:1), “I am your SHIELD”. God will protect you.

To Jacob God said, “Fear Not to go to Egypt (Genesis 46:3), “I will make you a great nation”.

To Israel God said, “Fear Not, neither be discouraged” (Deuteronomy 1:21).

To Joshua God said, “Fear not, be not dismayed” (Joshua 8:1) “I have given them into your hand).

Throughout the Scripture God our Father tells those who have received Him as Lord and Savior to “Fear Not”.

2 Timothy 1:7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

Let the darkened world dwell in darkness, confusion, and madness. We who are Christ’s will look to Him Who saved us, and live our lives for Him.

2. “of whom shall I be afraid”? (verse 1). The Hebrew פָּחַד pâchad, {pronounced paw-kkad’} means to be in awe of, or to tremble at. Whereas (יָרֵא yârêʼ, pronounced yaw-ray’) speaks to fear in the heart, pâchad refers to physical symptoms that accompany fear or dread. Beloved of Christ, we do not need to tremble in fear at the enemies around us, for God is greater than any enemy.

Psalms 46:1-2 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;

Psalms 56:2-4 Mine enemies would daily swallow me up: for they be many that fight against me, O thou most High. What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee. In God I will praise his word, in God I have put my trust; I will not fear what flesh can do unto me.

3. “in this will I be confident”. Where God is, there is no defeat. You and I should be confident with the Psalmist that – though all things do not APPEAR good, they ARE good. Why? The Apostle Paul – a man who suffered imprisonment for preaching the Gospel – declared

Romans 8:28 … all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

If you are saved by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, God has a purpose for every minute of your life. That purpose is not to be defeated by the darkness, but to stand strong, looking unto Him Who loves us and gave His life for us. The Apostle went on to say:

Romans 8:31-39 … What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? 32 He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? 33 Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth. 34 Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. 37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. 38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 39 nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

The Psalmist – though not using the same words as the Apostle Paul – voiced the same truths. He said:

Psalm 27:5-6 … For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock. 6 And now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me: therefore will I offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy; I will sing, yea, I will sing praises unto the Lord.

God will protect His Children. He will set us up upon a rock, for He is our Savior and Lord.

A wonderful Savior is Jesus my Lord,
A wonderful Savior to me;
He hideth my soul in the cleft of the rock,
Where rivers of pleasure I see.
He hideth my soul in the cleft of the rock
That shadows a dry, thirsty land;
He hideth my life in the depths of His love,
And covers me there with His hand,
And covers me there with His hand.

To Wait On The Lord Is To Pray,
Humbly Expecting His Presence

Psalm 27:7-10 Hear, O Lord, when I cry with my voice: have mercy also upon me, and answer me. 8 When thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face, Lord, will I seek. 9 Hide not thy face far from me; put not thy servant away in anger: thou hast been my help; leave me not, neither forsake me, O God of my salvation. 10 When my father and my mother forsake me, then the Lord will take me up.

The worst thing that could happen to a Jew in David’s day was for his parents to forsake him. David considered a thing far worst than this to be the LORD forsaking him. So David prayed for the Presence of God. We who love the Lord should pray for His Presence. The greatest thing the believer has is the knowledge that God is with us, and will never forsake us (Deuteronomy 31:6).

Hebrews 13:5-6 Let your {way of life} be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for {God} hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. 6 So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.

When we wait on God, God stays with us. He protects us. He guides us. He loves us. Do you know the Lord? Is Jesus Christ your Lord and Savior? If not, today would be a wonderful day to do as Scripture says:

Romans 10:9-11 .. if you would confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved. With your heart you believe in Jesus, and receive His righteousness. With your mouth you make a confession that leads to salvation. Whosoever calls upon the Name of the Lord Jesus shall be saved. (my paraphrase).

Oh, that you would, by faith, enter the Kingdom of God this very day. Give yourselves to Christ, and He will give Himself to you. May each and every person under the sound of this Gospel receive and believe this very day. Amen and Amen.