Teach me Your way, O LORD, and lead me in a smooth path, because of my enemies. 

Psalm 27:11 

The path of life has many curves. There are hills and obstructions, perils, and pitfalls. We have choices of the path we follow and many times we find ourselves at a fork in the road. Left to ourselves without leadership, we may make choices which will lead us down the pathway to disaster. In the grand scheme of things we are children when it comes to the whole sum of knowledge and wisdom. Beyond that, we have enemies. They may hate us openly or in secret. Often the ones who hate us most will never tell us. They delight anytime we stumble or fall. Thus we stand in need of leadership that will guide us along the right path. Some translations call this the smooth path, but it has a wider nuance than that. This path is the straight path, the right path, the plain path, the level path, the safe path, and the path of uprightness. Thus it is the path that enables us to avoid the more grievous pitfalls. David sought Christ, his Shepherd to lead him in that path. Our need is as great as David’s. His Shepherd is our Shepherd. We are in need of the leadership He provides all along the perilous path of life. Apart from His leadership we will be making unwise choices at every fork of the road. David’s prayer works for us. ‘Lead me in a smooth path, because of my enemies.’  

O, Great Shepherd of the sheep, 
we rejoice that You lead us all along our pilgrim pathway. 
We praise You that You will guide us safely home. 

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning

Teach me Your way, O LORD, and lead me in a smooth path, because of my enemies.  

Psalm 27:11 

We need to be taught what we do not know. Ignorance can be deadly. What exacerbates ignorance is not knowing we are ignorant. When we are aware of our ignorance we can seek someone who can teach us. David was aware of his lack of knowledge and wisdom. He resorted to God to teach him His ways. If we return to his explanation of his relationship with Christ in Psalm 23, we will see how Christ led him step by step into deeper spiritual knowledge. Every portion of that Psalm is a teaching moment, From Christ, he learned to seek his daily bread. In Christ he learned to find rest. From Christ he received living water. With Christ he learned to tread the valley of the shadow of death without fear of evil. By Christ’s provision he learned he could eat and drink in the presence of his enemies without being paralyzed by fear. It was Christ Who anointed his head with oil, thus teaching him the peculiar regard in which He held him. He learned that God’s goodness and mercy would follow him all the days of his life and that he would dwell in the house of the LORD forever. What David learned by this personal relationship with Christ is there for us to learn as well. His Shepherd is our Shepherd. We follow Him and learn at His feet. We shall not want in life, in death, or in eternity.  

Our Holy and Wise God, 
we rejoice that You know all things. 
We praise You that Your are most willing to teach us. 

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning

When my father and my mother forsake me, then the LORD will take care of me. 

Psalm 27:10

There are times when our nearest and dearest relationships fail. In our text, David articulates such a failure. He describes one of the worst experiences a child can endure. He speaks of being abandoned by father and mother. For a child, who has learned to regard his parents as the nearest and dearest ones in the world, to be forsaken is the unkindest cut of all. Sadly, there are moments when this becomes a reality for many. The reasons may vary, but the pain is overwhelming and enduring . When such an instance occurred for David, Christ was his hope. Referring back to his statements in Psalm 23, he might take a solitary walk through the valley of the shadow of death, yet he would not fear because Christ, his Shepherd, would be with him. When every earthly friend abandons us; when our nearest and dearest earthly relation is unceremoniously cut off, Christ is the One Who steps up and steps in. He is our portion when all our relations have forsaken us. David’s hope was in Christ. As he puts it, ‘Then the LORD will take care of me.’ David’s Christ is our Christ. David’s hope is our hope. He could endure the pain of such abandonment with holy grace because Christ would take care of him in his most desolate hour. We have David’s hope. 

Our Gracious Master and our God, 
we rejoice that You uphold us when all others forsake us. 
We praise You that You have promised to never leave us. 

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning

Do not hide Your face from me; do not turn Your servant away in anger; You have been my help; do not leave me nor forsake me, O God of my salvation. 

Psalm 27:9 

We all have our fears. We may articulate them or hold them close because they are so deep we find it painful to even refer to them. David was a man of faith. He believed thoroughly in God, and more specifically in Christ, Whom he called his Shepherd. David feared being left to himself by God. He was bold enough to articulate his fear. Our text is his utterance of it. This sheep did not want his Shepherd to leave him. Thus this verse is his pitiable cry, like the bleating of the forlorn sheep on the hillside. We may have the same fear that David had. We believe. We are people of faith. We have rested by faith in Christ, our Shepherd. We know the doctrine and trust the promises. Yet within us resides the nagging fear that God will run out of patience with us, that He will hide His face and turn away from us in anger for our weakness, our willfulness, and our many failings. God has been our help. We will be desolate if He leaves or forsakes us. What is our assurance? The writer of Hebrews has the answer, ‘Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, I will never leave you nor forsake you.’ The writer is not merely making an assertion, but rather is quoting Christ Himself. These are not our words but His words. This is the answer to our fears. This is the answer to David’s prayer and ours. Christ has purchased us with His Own blood. He has married us and will never divorce us. He will not abandon us.  

O, Great Shepherd of the Sheep, 
we rejoice that You are ever watchful over Your flock. 
We praise You that You have given us the blessed assurance, 
that You will never leave us.  

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning

When You said, Seek My face, my heart said to You, Your face, LORD, I will seek. 

Psalm 27:8 

God wants us to seek Him. David recounts God’s word to him. He said, ‘Seek My face.’ David’s heart responded with  ‘Your face, LORD, I will seek.’ This is the response of the person of faith. Faith is critical. Hebrews 11 says, ‘But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.’ David had faith, and because he did he responded to God’s exhortation as he did. In his response he is as a host of others. David did not stand alone in his seeking the face of God. He found the face of God in the Person of Christ. There is an intimate relationship between the middle eastern shepherd and his sheep. David had been a shepherd. When he sought the face of God, he found it in the Good, Great, and Chief Shepherd. He found it in his Lord, to Whom he refers in Psalm 110.  David understood that he would see the face of God in this One Who is the brightness of His glory and the express image of His Person. The call is the same for us. God says to us, ‘Seek My face.’ The heart response of the person of faith is ‘Your face, LORD, I will seek.’ Then we respond thus, God brings us to Christ. He is the Rose of Sharon, Who never fades. He is the Lily of the Valley that never loses its fragrance. All the exquisite elements of Divinity wrap themselves around and thoroughly permeate this most excellent Character. When we seek God’s face we behold it in Christ.  

Our Glorious, Living God, 
we rejoice that you have called us to seek Your face. 
We praise You that, as we do, 
You receive us graciously. 

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning