Christian Counseling Service -- Devotions

Listen to the warm

Friday, December 6, 2002

Psalm 27, a psalm of David
1) 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?
2) When evil men advance against me to devour my flesh,
when my enemies and my foes attack me,
they will stumble and fall.
3) Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear;
though war break out against me, even then will I be confident.
4) 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.
5) 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.
6) 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.
7) Hear my voice when I call, O Lord; be merciful to me and answer me.
8) My heart says of you, "Seek his face!" Your face, Lord, I will seek.
9) 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.
10) Though my father and mother forsake me, the Lord will receive me.
11) Teach me your way, O Lord;
lead me in a straight path because of my oppressors.
12) Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes,
for false witnesses rise up against me, breathing out violence.
13) I am still confident of this:
I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.
14) Wait for the Lord;
be strong and take heart
and wait for the Lord.

On St. Nicholas' Day, cold and frozen, sun shining from an ice blue sky, I am remembering the story of the little match girl. It was so difficult for her to please her father, and she finally was so cold selling her matches that she used them to try and stay warm. As she slowly froze to death, her grandmother came to meet her, put her arms around her, bring her in where the fire never goes out.

One thing she asked, that she could dwell in that place with her grandmother ... forever. David had the courage and the wisdom to ask the same thing of God, long before Jesus introduced us to the concept of God as our father.

I don't know for sure, but I imagine David in a bad place when he wrote this psalm, a place where the "goodness of the Lord" was difficult to discern. Perhaps he was on the run, hiding in the desert, short on food, thirsty, lonely, uncertain of anything beyond his next breath.

David's intimacy with God draws me in like a warm fire on this cold day. Come inside, draw up another chair. Put another log on the fire. The feast is about to begin. There is plenty for all of us.

Lord, cold air bites my face, my lungs. There is no place to hide except in your arms. Breathe on me, and hold me, and make me warm. Always.

Devotions Archive

Listen to the warm

Friday, December 6, 2002