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💭 Consider this: What is the greatest trial or burden you are carrying today, and how can you actively encourage yourself in the Lord rather than be overwhelmed by it?

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Sometimes the challenges and afflictions upon us may not be intense at the moment, but they will chip away at us like an enemy conducting siege warfare against us. Isn't it? It may be a place of work you're at and you face a kind of challenge. It may be a difficult colleague, or maybe a difficult company, or a difficult superior in your enterprise or corporation that you have to work with. And you find that this difficulty is wearing you down so much so that your spiritual life is affected. You may think to yourself come Friday, you know, "I'm so tired this week of all these conflicts and all these issues that seem to be unable to be resolved. I don't think I have the energy to go to prayer meeting." That's what can happen. In fact, you might even be tempted to think, "This weekend I may not even have the energy to come to church. I'm so worn out. My mind is so full of anxiety and trouble."

The enemy, our adversary, can do that to a believer. But never succumb, because like David the psalmist, he says, "In this will I be confident." And what is this? We know exactly what this is. This is my God who is my light and my salvation.

So brothers and sisters, let this be our encouragement. Whatever that challenge you're facing, whatever that trial that is in your life at the moment (and this is a good point in the week, midweek, to think about it, to reflect upon it, and to pray upon it), no matter how ferocious that challenge is or no matter how intense the enemy—the devil—tries to put fear and anxiety into your heart, do not fear. Be like the psalmist. "The LORD is my light and my salvation: whom shall I fear?" (Psalm 27:1, KJV). Nothing. Because God is my strength.

"Whom shall I fear?" (Psalm 27:1, KJV). And in this shall I be confident? What is it that I shall be confident of? "The LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?" (Psalm 27:1, KJV).

And I pray in the middle of this week, as you think and pray upon our great and mighty God, and whatever challenges that you're trying to overcome or whatever affliction, however severe or however minor it may be that is afflicting your life, think of the words of Psalm 27. "The LORD is my light and my salvation" (Psalm 27:1, KJV).

Now it is very interesting—and you probably might have heard about this in previous sermons—that in the Hebrew language very often phrases are expressed in the perfect tense, meaning if something is said or written in a sentence, it is often stated in the past tense as if it's already accomplished. And this is how many prophecies are expressed, as if as you're reading it, it is as good as a promise delivered.

And this is the sense and the state of mind the psalmist has when he writes verses four and five. So this is what he says. Let's read verses four and five. In verse four he says, "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" (Psalm 27:4, KJV). And verse five continues, "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" (Psalm 27:5, KJV).

Now, while we may not know exactly precisely which point in David's life that King David—or the refugee David, the fugitive David—wrote these words, we know that there were many instances in David's life where he was away from the capital city, from the places of worship, and he was seeking refuge in the wilderness. And in those moments his heart would deeply desire to be able to worship God. He says in verse four, "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" (Psalm 27:4, KJV). Now these are the words of David.

Remember at the time of David, the worship was still conducted in a tabernacle, right? It was only his son Solomon who built the Temple. So when David said, "I may dwell in the house of the LORD," what exactly did he mean? He meant the close presence of God with him. He is always sure, and his faith is absolutely strong and founded upon God who is never ever to abandon him. God will always be with him. "I desire of it, and I know I will dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, and I will behold the beauty of the LORD." That's his desire. But he knows God is with him because verse five confirms it. "For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion" (Psalm 27:5, KJV). When I'm surrounded by those ferocious enemies, when I've encountered that situation which I know is so intense it may crush me.

Have you had that feeling before? You're about to go to work and you know that this morning is a time of reckoning, because this is a day when you have to answer for a severe mistake that you have made or perhaps something that you have overlooked, and it's going to cause the company a huge penalty, and you're going to be the one to have to answer for it, and the intensity of that pressure seems to overwhelm you. Or it may be something that is long drawn, chipping away at your life, chipping away at your sense of peace in your heart, affecting your spiritual life. But yet we may, like the psalmist King David, say this—verse five: "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" (Psalm 27:5, KJV). He will find me a safe refuge where I will have peace.

How wonderful and how merciful and gracious is our God. "He shall set me up upon a rock" (Psalm 27:5, KJV)—a place of defence.

What do we learn today from these five verses? We learn about the thoughts of a psalmist, a man who has encountered many afflictions and trials in his life. But yet, despite that, we know that this is a man who is able to encourage himself in the Lord. And I urge you, brothers and sisters, as we read these words, let us know and understand that we have a merciful and gracious God who is always ready to help. And if we walk close to Him and base our faith and trust in Him, we too can be like the psalmist and we say, "God is my light and my salvation: whom shall I fear? God is the strength of my life: of whom shall I be afraid?" (Psalm 27:1, KJV). Nothing shall faze us. Nothing shall shake us. Nothing can shake the foundation of our faith on a merciful God who will always help and deliver His beloved children.