It's good to think more deeply about the mercies of God in times of crisis. To help guide us in this effort, we'll consider Paul David Tripp's collection of meditations from Psalm 27 called "A Shelter in the Time of Storm." You can get your own copy on Amazon here.

Why Psalm 27? Why Now?

The short answer to "Why Psalm 27 now?" can be found in the title of Paul Tripp's Introductory section - "Hope in God in a World That is Broken."

In 2006, the Tripp's daughter, Nicole, was hit by an SUV that jumped the sidewalk and crushed her against the wall of a building. The injuries were extensive, things were dicey for a while, and the road to recovery (praise God there was one!) was long. Those were dark times in the Tripp household.

As he (Paul) reflects back on those times, he considers Psalm 27 as a helpful guide for how to have hope in a world that is broken. The Psalms are particularly useful in tough times because "they put difficult and hope together in the tension of hardship and grace." Starting with his conclusions, he tells us three things we know for certain:

1. We haven't been given a ticket out of this brokenness of this world simply because we are the children of God. (The world really is fallen.)
2. God brings rest when it seems like there is no rest to be found. (The God of grace meets his children in moments of darkness.)
3. We were not made to endure this fallen world on our own but to exist with eyes filled with the beauty of God's presence and hearts at rest in the lap of his goodness. 

Psalm 27 is useful because it's true and because it's an honest expression of our experience in the world. "Like real life, it is written between the tension of a life of trouble and a God of grace. It is a Psalm of fear, but in it fear gives way to confidence." 

Your session is deeply concerned about the government’s ban on corporate worship. One of the things Tripp notices about Psalm 27 is the initial subject of David's prayer. It's not vengeance, protection, or justice that David wants most of all - it's worship. "David's first thoughts run to the temple, where the Lord dwells. The first desire of his heart is to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord." Tripp is right to call that "shocking," David is under attack and yet his first desire is to be in the presence of God. 

I described the Psalm as an honest expression of our experience; Tripp says it "gives an accurate and familiar picture of what normal life is like in a fallen world." Part of that normalcy is its back-and-forth nature. "A moment of high worship is followed by a situation of trouble. A moment of insight is followed by a moment of confusion. Rest is followed by threat. Call to action is followed by the need to wait. Confidence that God is near is followed by a desperate plea that he would hear and answer."

Hasn't that been your experience these past few weeks? Moments of faith interspersed with moments of weakness. Moments of trust clouded by moments of doubt. Mine too. That's part of what draws me to this study of Psalm 27.

Despite the see-saw of David's thinking, it's clear that he is not calling us to live self-protectively. We can't avoid the dark times by playing it safe. There is no escape from the effects of a fallen world. Instead of trying (and failing) to run away from them, let's fix our eyes on Christ and prepare for them with hope.