For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion; in the secret place of His tabernacle He shall hide me; He shall set me high upon a rock. 

Psalm 27:5 

Christ is the great Preserver of His people. He has His pavilion which He uses to shelter them. He dwells in the secret place of the tabernacle and encloses them there with Him. He sets them upon the rock out of the reach of their enemies. Sometimes He delivers them from death. Other times He delivers them by death and sweeps them into His Presence out of the grasp of their enemies. David understood how thoroughly secure he was in Christ. In spite of all his enemies sought to do to him, he died an old man in his own bed. Christ exercises absolute control over all things and all people. The wicked are subject to His will. He, the Great Shepherd, preserves His sheep against all who would do them harm. The world, and all who dwell within it are His and bend to His Sovereign will. Therefore His people need not fear the time of trouble. It is inevitable that such times will come. It is just as inevitable that the redeemed will experience various effects of those times. What gives us confidence is that Jesus never fails. He has promised to never leave us or forsake us. Therefore we do not fear what man shall do to us. David lived a far more perilous life than most of us. If he had confidence in Christ in times of trouble, we also can be confident.    

O God, our Shield and our Defender, 
we rejoice that You preserve Your people. 
We praise You that nothing occurs to them 
that is outside Your providential plan. 

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning

One thing I have desired of the LORD, that will I seek: 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 inquire in His temple. 

Psalm 27:4 

Our dwelling place is with Christ. We want to be where He is. David articulated this in our text. Whatever else happened in his life, he wanted to be where Christ was. During David’s lifetime, the place where God showed His glory was the tabernacle. His son, Solomon, would erect the temple, which would replace the tabernacle. Within the tabernacle, and later the temple, would reside the Ark of the Covenant. There the shekinah glory of God would be between the cherubim at the mercy seat. This was where humanity encountered Jehovah. David wanted to be where he could encounter God. The tabernacle and temple bring us to Christ. The various parts of these places of worship depict a variety of elements of the Person and work of Christ. David understood that to dwell in the house of the LORD would be to live in constant communion with Christ, his light and his salvation. Our desire is to be where Christ is. In Psalm 23, David looked forward to God’s eternal day when he would dwell in the house of the LORD forever. That is our desire. The House of Jehovah is where Christ is. It would not be what it is if He was not there. We desire what David did. We look forward to the day when the faith shall be sight. We want to live in the presence of Christ, not just for time, but for eternity. We want to dwell in the house of the LORD. 

Our Great and Gracious God, 
we rejoice that You dwell with Your people. 
We praise You that You are preparing a place for us, 
where we may dwell with You. 

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning

Though an army may encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war may rise against me, in this I will be confident. 

Psalm 27:3

How shall we respond to dire circumstances? David trusted Christ and placed all his confidence in Him. Thus he could say, ‘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?’ A casual reading of David’s personal history reveals numerous instances when an army encamped against him. Many sought to war against him. He had foes, both foreign and domestic. How could he live in confidence, free from heart-fear? Christ is the answer. Christ was David’s light and his salvation. Christ was the strength of his life. Christ defeated his enemies in the midst of their evil endeavors. Thus even though he faced the most dire situations, David could testify, ‘My heart shall not fear.’ David’s Christ is our Christ. David’s salvation is our salvation. David’s defender is our Defender. His circumstances were often life and death encounters. If David could live without fear in his heart because Christ was his light and his salvation, we can live without fear in our heart for the same reason. He was confident in Christ. We also can be confident in Christ. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. As we go forth day by day to encounter what may be hostile and toxic situations, we can do so trusting in Christ, the portion of His people. 

Our Glorious, Living God, 
we rejoice that You deliver us from fear. 
We praise You that we can face perilous situations, 
knowing You are our Defender. 

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning

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? When the wicked came against me to eat up my flesh, my enemies and foes, they stumbled and fell. 

Psalm 27:1-2 

How can we live with strength in the presence of our enemies? Fear is not simply what we experience when someone is actively doing us harm. Fear is, perhaps more often, the anxiety we feel because of what might happen. Thus fear is the antithesis to strong living. Fear is natural. If often has a logical, rational foundation. David’s enemies were real, armed, and intended to destroy him. His fears were not groundless. He did not want to live in fear any more than we do. The antidote for David’s fear was Christ. He identified Christ as his Shepherd, his King, and his Lord. He had good evangelical knowledge. Because he knew Christ, he could live with strength. This stands in stark contrast to living fearfully. Jehovah was the strength of David’s life. He is the strength of our life as well. We have enemies who want to destroy us. They may not come at us with sword and spear, but they are no less our enemies.  How shall we live with strength? Christ is the answer. He is the strength of our life. He is our Shepherd, our King, and our Strength. What would normally paralyze us with fear, we are able to face with strength and bravery because, He makes us strong. To Christ alone be the glory.  

We rest on You,  
our Shield and our Defender. 
You are all our Hope  
in the land of the living. 

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning