Psalm 27
Your Story
Talk about a time when you had to wait for something big, whether it was waiting until you were 16 to get your license, waiting to purchase a house, or something else. How did you feel during that time of waiting? Excited? Anxious? Nervous?
My Story and the Bible Story
I find myself anxious a good bit of the time. I worry about what will happen, whether or not something will actually occur, and if things will turn out okay. It seems like Psalm 27 was written for worriers. Read Psalm 27. From the NIV: 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? When evil men advance against me to devour my flesh, when my enemies and my foes attack me, they will stumble and fall. Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then will I be confident. 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 high upon a rock. Then my head will be exalted above the enemies who surround me; at his tabernacle will I sacrifice with shouts of joy; I will sing and make music to the Lord. Hear my voice when I call, O Lord; be merciful to me and answer me. My heart says of you, “Seek his face!” Your face, O Lord, I will seek. 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, O God my Savior. Though my father and mother forsake me, the Lord will receive me. Teach me your way, O Lord; lead me in a straight path because of my oppressors. Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes, for false witnesses rise up against me, breathing out violence. I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.
“Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.” It seems like we wait for many things. We wait in line at the store, we wait for things like the end of the school or work day, we wait for summer vacation, we wait for Christmas, and the list goes on. And much of the time we wait impatiently, anxious for Christmas to finally be here or for us to be at the head of the line. It’s the same with God. Many times we have to wait on God. We have to wait for answers to our prayers. We have to wait for God to work in our world and in our lives. In David’s time, waiting for God was scary because it meant that he was waiting for God to take care of his enemies before his enemies caught him. But in the midst of David’s anxiety, he reminds us that we will see the goodness of the Lord. We can take heart because God will show up.
It’s hard to wait on God. We want things as soon as we ask, and praying to God is no different. We want things to happen immediately. But God does things in God’s own perfect time. And we can rest in the fact that God wants what’s best for us, and that we have no need to fear because God is always by our side. When you find yourself waiting this week, pray and ask God for help in waiting on God.
Discussion
• Ask your kids to talk about ways they have to wait.
• Talk about thing we can do while we wait for God.
Prayer
Ask God for help in waiting on God. Pray for God’s peace in the midst of anxiety.
Jessica Asbell is currently serving as the Minister to Children at First Baptist Church of Roswell, GA. She has worked with children in various capacities at several churches, including Winter Park Baptist in Wilmington, NC, First Baptist of Decatur, GA, and Highland Hills Baptist in Macon, GA. She has a Master of Divinity from McAfee School of Theology and a BBA from Mercer University. In her spare time she loves to read, watch movies, and of course spend time with her sweet kitty, Lucy.
