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.

When evil men advance against me
to devour my flesh,
when my enemies and foes attack me,
they will stumble and fall.

Psalm 27:2 (NIV)

While Tripp acknowledges that not all of the Psalms are technically "Messianic Psalms" (directly about Jesus), it's still the case that they all point to Jesus in some way. Reading verse 2, Tripp immediately thinks of the cross.

Evil men, and their plans, did advance against Christ. He was attacked by his enemies and foes. The series of events of Jesus' passion seem impossible if you consider that Jesus was God incarnate. How could this be?

But like Jesus himself, the events were not what they seemed. What looked like the victory of foes was actually the victory of grace. It wasn't Jesus who finally stumbled and fell - it was his enemies, even the greatest enemy: death. 

Read Psalm 27 and see your suffering Savior. Read Psalm 27 and celebrate your redemption. Read Psalm 27 and remember that in the stumbling of the enemy your life and hope is to be found. Read Psalm 27 and be filled with deep appreciation for sovereign grace.

Questions to Consider

The questions are Tripp's. I included my answers in case they're helpful to read.

1. Do you live in hope or have you grown weary, bitter, or cynical about something or someone? If so, are you merely settling for survival?

- I live in hope. 

2. What things in life tend to function as your substitutes for the hope that can be found only at the cross?

- I really hope this isn't something I do.