There are some Psalms I read and I just think, that is how my relationship with God should be. That’s the thirst and desire and God-centredness and single-mindedness and joy that I need and want. A heart completely secure in and sold out to the Father. They’re very inspiring Psalms. But I also find them convicting and condemning. Because my relationship with God is only very rarely anything even approaching that and usually a thousand miles away from that sort of devotion.
But… what it I don’t jump straight into the Psalmist shoes? What if I don’t straight-line the Psalms to me but first look at them as Jesus Psalms? Three examples (first one below and a couple more to come):
Psalm 27
Deep down I do want to have that “one thing” focus on the Lord (v4) but I know that most of the time I don’t. I’m also not sure how I should personally apply all the stuff about enemies and false witnesses and whether I can be as confident as the Psalmist that I will triumph over them. And verse 13 seems a great promise to claim: “I shall see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living” but is it really true?
But what if I take seriously that this is a Psalm of David? Well he really was a man after God’s heart. And the stuff about enemies starts to make more sense. He really did have armies encamping against him. And he had a promise from God to trust in that he would eventually be recognised as king.
But the Psalm seems to go beyond David – he did sometimes fear (cf. v3) and the Temple was not built in his day (cf. v4). It is the Great Christ who fits this Psalm perfectly – he is the one with a perfect relationship with the Father, the one surrounded by enemies and false witnesses, the one whose family forsakes him (cf. Ps. 69:8). He dwelt, before eternity, in his Father’s presence, he was found in his Father’s house as a boy, he cleansed his Father’s house, he entered the heavenly tabernacle as priest-sacrifice, and he longs for the day we will be with him in the glory of the New Creation Temple.
The core of Psalm 27 is in many ways a Gethsemane prayer – “Father if it is possible, hide not your face from me, forsake me not”. It was not possible. Christ did drink the cup of God-forsakenness. But his confidence in verse 13 was proved right on Easter morning: “I shall see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living” (cf. Job 19:25-27; Isaiah 53:11).
Where are we in Psalm 27? In verse 14. There the Psalmist turns to address us directly for the first time: “Wait for the Lord; be strong, let your heart take courage; yes, wait for the Lord!” No longer are we condemned by the perfect devotion of Psalm 27. It is Christ who had the perfect relationship with God. My role is this Psalm is passive – to wait. The right response is simply to be en-Couraged – to see Christ, his perfection, his forsakenness, his triumph over his enemies and have my drooping heart strengthened.
fidelnyikuri
iServe Africa Webmaster
Utumishi Blog 
The Great Christ – what a great description. Thanks, mate. I remember hearing someone once describe the place of ‘one thing’ as David prays this prayer in Ps.27 as a place of untouchable safety in the context of encamping armies/enemies. I love the image of the place of prayer and devotion as a refuge from the enemies you mention. Of course, the reality and experiences our our lives as we read Psalms like Ps.27 are reflected back to us through Lundgaard’s ‘looking glass’ dynamic of Bible-reading – but I hear Paul’s struggle in Romans 7 of the same quandary – ie why am I not experiencing what I see David experiencing? Why am I not doing what I really want to do? The Great Christ – well, He is the answer to all of this. Ultimately I think the answer (I find increasingly in my own life) is that it really is God Himself who is working in me. it really is His work. It really is His initiation towards me. It really is Tozer’s prevenient drawing. It really is His battle. And ultimately I know that the work He started in us will be seen through to completion and my life is, somehow, becoming more like His. My devotion is somehow becoming more ‘Gethsemaneesque’…because it is for it is “God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.” (Phil.2:13). Jane Derby said, “God is always moving behind the scenes and He’s always moving the scenes He’s behind”.
Thanks for this Nick. Great reflections and quotes. I didn’t mean to exclude the idea of personal transformation and progress in Christ-likeness. As Lundgaard shows, we do begin to emulate what we gaze at and worship. But it is precisely as we look at Christ in himself that we are transformed. Which is why I think it’s important that we hold back from jumping into the Psalms and first see Jesus in himself, in all his glory. And as we see his perfect devotion and receive his pure grace and bathe in that – then we begin to be transformed into his image.
Reblogged this on Firebrand Notes and commented:
Some great thoughts from Psalm 27 from a brother in Africa. Awesome