Strength in the Midst of Tribulation

Psalm 27:1,4: "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? . . . . 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."

David's words in this Psalm should be seen as words of encouragement for us when we face times of pain and tragedy in our lives. The trials that we encounter are packaged differently for each of us. For some of us, it may be a unexpected diagnosis . . . for others it will be the loss of a relationship or a dream or financial security. Nevertheless, we must all face these undesired events as we live our lives.

David faced a number of painful experiences in life . . . in his early years he had to run from King Saul, who saw David as a threat to his throne and sought to kill him. Later in life, David would see the tragic deaths of several of his sons, one who wanted to destroy his father and take the throne for himself. David also knew the betrayal of his father-in-law, Ahithophel, who carried hatred in his heart for the king, and wanted to see the king lose his throne.

Yet with all of these tragedies, David was wise enough to know that the Lord was his Stronghold, who would provide protection throughout the painful trials of life. David also knew that true deliverance would not come during his lifetime, but when David would be ushered into God's eternal presence in heaven.

What we can learn through David's response is the need to keep our eyes fixed upon our Lord no matter what situation we encounter. We must resolve ourselves to keep strong with the faith that Our Lord is Sovereign . . . that He is our Stronghold in times of trouble. And we must trust that He will bring deliverance to us in the end, if we have surrendered to Him as our Lord and Savior. We need to press on, no matter what we are experiencing in this life, for we know that God will be with us each step of the way. And we need to be encouraged with the assurance that our deliverance from pain lay just beyond the horizon in eternity.