Psalm 27:1-9
Introduction
David clearly values safety. He doesn’t like to be afraid. In verse 1 alone, he mentions the fear factor twice. His enemies, as he writes, are attacking from all sides— invoking images of “evildoers,” “adversaries and foes,” armies, enemies and violence. David longs for security, cover and “shelter in the day of trouble” (v. 5). His heart faints for fear and all of his courage has vanished. He remembers better days when he would visit the “house of the LORD,” and be full of faith.
Consequently, this psalm reads like a foxhole monologue. And as the saying goes, there are no atheists in foxholes. Which is why it comes as no surprise that David is calling God to save him, whom David calls his “light” and “salvation” (v. 1).
This psalm then is for all who feel they’re in a foxhole— either now, or felt so in the past, or even might find themselves in some kind of hole in the future because when we are being attacked from all sides, and fear is closing its grip around us, this Psalm of David gives us both voice to the reality of fears even the most faithful must endure, but also the reminder we have a shelter in such times…and it’s far better than any foxhole.
Move 1
We know the origins of the term “foxhole”—a military term for a small pit dug for individual shelter from enemies during battle, but there’s an interesting thing about foxholes. Literal foxholes, where real foxes with bushy tails live, are actually very small. A human could never fit into a real foxhole. Typically, the opening is only 4-5 inches in diameter. The den itself ranges from 3 to 8 feet deep and might have multiple entrances, all with a tunnel that could be up to 50 feet long. And foxes rarely sleep in their foxholes. Rather, they store food, raise their young, or duck into their hole to escape a predator.
For foxes, the fox hole is comfortable, but for humans, they are anything but comfortable—we can sense such from David himself. He’s not comfortable. He feels hemmed in. He’s in a tight place, has very little wiggle room, and is uncertain about the future. Kind of like us…sometimes, right?
But this is David’s situation—where he is at—a place that is uncomfortable, surround by powers against him, and he is filled with fear. But David knows too, where, and to what, he can go.
Move 2
Verse four of our text leads us deeper into what David knows… One thing I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: to live 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. This is the one thing David asks God for—to live in the house of the Lord—all the days of my life. And why? Because David knows what that would mean for his life.
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So let us consider then… If we were to ask God for one thing, what would it be?
The studies and surveys agree:
We want more time, but we waste time in the worst possible ways.
We want to be in a happy place, but seldom seem to arrive, or know how to get there.
We want to be successful, but have awful conceptions of what success is.
We want good, healthy relationships, but can’t wrap our heads around what it means to live sacrificially.
We want to feel safe, but we put our trust in alarm systems, text alerts, cameras, and weapons.
We want to live in a civil society where we are accepting of others’ politics and religion, but we use disparaging and pejorative words to describe those with views different from our own.
We admire self-discipline, but have very little in terms of exercise, portion control, and lifestyle habits.
Bottom line… We are a mess of wants and desires with corresponding vices and voices on our shoulder arguing against the best choices we could make.
We live in the Pauline paradox of doing what is bad for us and not doing what is good for us. But not David.
David says the one thing he would “seek after” is “to live 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.”
In other words, David is most happy in the presence of God, and most unhappy when away from that same presence. And David admits, God’s perceived absences were a product of his disobedience. David had enough life experience to know it was in his best interest to be close to God, and to keep God as his closest advisor and protector.
We know this, too, on an intuitive level. But perhaps, contrary to the common wisdom about atheists and foxholes, maybe we are atheists in a foxhole after all, not really believing God can in any real and meaningful way help us in our of trouble. Those thoughts trickle in when we find ourselves in a foxhole, which is why in our times of trouble and fear we need something better than a foxhole.
Move 3
Generally, we have a lot of reasons to fear. There are always fears circling around our health and the health of our families. There are fears about our safety and the safety of those we love. There are global fears—climate change, threats of war, balloons from China floating over Montana possibly dropping spy sensors.
And this is to say nothing of fears about money. Will we have enough money to retire? To pay this month’s bills? To buy food even, right? The cost of groceries is crazy—not to mention there are still supply issues so there are fears of essential items not being available.
It’s not like the good old days anymore, is it? I can remember when things were so abundant and affordable, we would buy dozens of eggs and rolls of toilet paper and then just throw them at the houses and trees of the kids we didn’t like. (Or the houses and trees of the girls we did like.)
Having a lot of reasons to fear is precisely David’s situation right now. Right now… in this Psalm… he is in a foxhole. It is small and uncomfortable. He is filled with fear for all that is threatening him. His God is big, but right now David is feeling exposed and vulnerable, and God is nowhere to be found.
But even though it feels like God is nowhere, David knows something. He knows what we know. He knows what not everyone in a foxhole knows.
David knows far better than a foxhole is a stronghold. And for David, and us, our stronghold is God. And thank God too. Because yes, we have much to fear, but what I so often hear when someone finds themselves in a metaphorical foxhole—is there is reason to fear, yes; but inevitably I also hear about their idea of what is even more fearful. And do you know what that is? I hear this all the time. It’s the fear of what the situation would be like having to face their fear… without God.
I hear it all the time. Many of you have said it to me in some form or another… “I can’t imagine how people who don’t have faith go through times like this.” “I don’t know how people get through something like this without God in their life.”
It is our faith in the one we cry out to that moves us from foxhole to stronghold, from small and temporary to the house of the Lord; from the dimness of hopelessness to the light of salvation.
Conclusion
In reality, no matter who we are, we all have fears we have to face.
Troubles and sorrows differ from day to day and from person to person. When we’re seeking shelter from a literal storm, any basement, bunker, interior room will do as a foxhole of refuge.
But when we are seeking shelter from the fears of life, from troubles and dangers in life, many will still seek foxhole shelter—shelter and protection that is uncomfortable, small, temporary, and still leaves us feeling vulnerable.
But others know to seek out stronghold shelter—shelter and protection that is far from small or temporary.
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David clearly values safety. He doesn’t like to be afraid. His enemies are attacking from all sides, he longs for security, cover and “shelter in the day of trouble.” His heart faints with fear and all of his courage has vanished. He remembers better days when he would visit the “house of the LORD,” and be full of faith.
He does not like the trouble he’s in, he doesn’t want to be in this foxhole, he does not want to live in fear. And so he seeks God’s shelter “in the day of trouble,” God’s concealment “under the cover of his tent” and God’s refuge high atop a mountain because he knows, like we know, that far better than a foxhole is a stronghold. A stronghold where no matter what, no matter how bad we have made things, no matter how terrible a situation…we will not be overwhelmed by fear.
We know this. But not everyone does, do they? So who better to tell them and show them than us?
“The Lord is the stronghold of my life” says David, “of whom shall I be afraid?” Amen.
Pastoral Prayer, February 5, 2023
Ever present God, the observant student of this psalm may have noticed that the poetic prose of this word for us today is not about David; rather it’s all about You. Over and over again David cites you and calls out to you and we read and feel the contrast between the weakness, fear, pleadings and prayers of a faltering human being and you the almighty who can extract one from certain destruction.
It’s between a person who wants more than anything to shed all the troubles he has seen and you who can give him the safety of your divine presence; between the dimmest night of the soul and your “light and salvation.”
The psalm comes to the conclusion we’ve known all along: It is all about you— who you are, what you have done, and will always do.
There are times we need to be reminded that we need not seek temporary shelter in places too small and too vulnerable to all that comes against us. But for the most part we know that far better than a foxhole is the stronghold of your presence and your light and your salvation. For the most part we will remember this truth and will return to your stronghold presence when most needed.
But this truth and this reality is not fully known to all your children. Too many still encounter the troubles and fears of life and seek shelter in small, temporary, flimsy places of refuge that will not truly give them what they seek.
So help us to show and model to them a better way…a better place…a stronghold of faith that is forever and ever. For how did we come to know of your stronghold than by someone telling us and showing us? May you help us then do the same for others.
Hear now, we ask, the prayers within our spirits, needing to be poured out to you, as we do so in this time of Holy Silence.
All this we pray in the name of the light of our salvation, your son, our Savior, Jesus the Christ, who taught us to pray saying, “Our…”