Turn with me back to Psalm 27. Psalm 27. Verse 14 says, wait on the Lord Be of good courage, he shall strengthen thine heart. Wait, I say, on the Lord. That means turn your focus, turn your attention, turn your circumstance, turn your situation to him. Look to Him. Call on Him. Cast your all on Him. Roll your burden over to Him. Every now and then, our Lord allows us to do that, and it's so wonderful. Roll your burden over to Him. Roll it over to Him. Wait on the Lord. Wait on the Lord. Wait on the Lord.

You know, sometimes that's a light bulb. I talk about Romans 8, 28. I was like, oh, yeah. Forgot all things work together for good to them that love God. Well, that's another one. Wait on the Lord. Wait on the Lord. Be of good courage and he shall strengthen thine heart. Wait, I say, on the Lord.

I was really made aware of this Psalm about 25 years ago when the Lord was pleased to call my mother home to glory through the sickness of cancer. And I and my family, we were so distraught We were so distraught. Our little family, we were so sad. We felt so empty and lost. That's what I felt. I felt lost. Lost in life, lost in the world, lost in my own body. lost and helpless. There's nothing we could do about it. Helpless. And our good and kind and loving Lord used this psalm to comfort me and sustain me through it.

Oh, I remember sitting in our tiny little living room on that flowery couch reading this psalm and swallowing it, eating it. Like whenever the Lord sent Elijah to go hide in the wilderness by a brook, and he said, I'm going to send ravens every day to feed you. And they did. Ravens every day brought him bread and flesh, every single day. Well, this psalm was my raven that fed me and sustained me all through that time that my heart felt like it was lost in the wilderness. I couldn't begin to tell you how many times I read this psalm and hoped in this psalm and rejoiced in this psalm. So this psalm is very special to me. This one is very, very special to me.

And I feel led to look at it this morning and I pray it'll feed us, I pray it'll sustain us one more time. One more time. These 14 verses point to one clear object. The last two words of the Psalm are the exact same as the first two words of the Psalm. The Lord. It begins and ends with the Lord. This entire psalm is concerning the sustaining mercy and grace of the Lord. And not just to anybody, but to me. to me. Verse one says, the Lord is my, the Lord is my. That's what I love about this Psalm. This Psalm, this one right here is for me. Every elect before the foundation of this world, chosen, redeemed, called, child of God can say that. This Psalm is for me. This one's for me. The Lord is mine. He's mine.

Look at Psalm 18. Psalm 18 verse 2 says, The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer, my God, my strength, in whom I will trust, my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower. He's mine. He's mine. Look at Psalm 23. Verse 1 says, The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures. He leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul. He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for thou art with me. Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies. Thou anointest my head with oil. My cup runneth over. Surely, surely, Goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Me, my, I.

Back in Psalm 27, David said, the Lord is not just the light, but he's my light. Verse one says, the Lord is my light. He is my son, S-U-N. He's my son. He's my sight. He's my warmth. He's my health. He's my life. What could exist without the son? S-U-N. What could exist without the son? Nothing. Well, that's exactly how a child of God feels about Christ. Without him, there is nothing. He's my all.

Verse one says, the Lord is my light and my salvation. All of my salvation. Start to finish my salvation. My existence and safety, it's in him. David said, whom shall I fear? Whom shall I fear? If the Almighty God is for me, who can be against me?

You know who I fear the most? You know who I fear is gonna do me more harm in this life than anybody? You know who I fear could ruin my life as I know it on this earth? You know who I would love to get away from the most?

Verse one says, the Lord is my light and my salvation. Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life. He's not just a big part of my life. He's not what strengthens my life. He is the strength of my life. He doesn't strengthen me. He is my strength. Therefore, David said, at the end of verse one, of whom shall I be afraid?

Verse two, he said, when the wicked, even my enemies and my foes came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell. We just acknowledged who my wicked enemies and my foes that eat up my flesh are. That's my sin, my sins, my own sins, all of my sins because of my sin. From the moment I was conceived, it came upon me to eat up my flesh. but because of my Lord, because of my light, because of my salvation, because of my strength.

Verse two says, when the wicked, even my enemies and my foes came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell.

Verse 3 says, though an host should encamp against me, and that's exactly what I have. I have a host of sins and iniquities that I have committed encamped against me. But David said, because of my Lord, because of my Lord and my God, verse 3, though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear. The war should rise against me. In this will I be confident.

One thing have I desired of the Lord. The word thing is in italics. That was added by the translators. That verse was written to say, one have I desired of the Lord. That's a person. And because of that person, one thing, Have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after, that I may dwell 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.

For in the time of trouble, he shall hide me in his pavilion. In the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me.

My sin rose up against me. It all rose up against me in the person of my Savior on the cross of Calvary. My sin rose up against me. in the person of my Savior on the cross of Calvary, and all of God's judgment on my sin rose up against me in the person of Jesus Christ, my Savior, on the cross of Calvary.

But in that time of my trouble, that was my time of trouble. You want to talk about trouble? The judgment of God. That's trouble. That's trouble for a man and woman. And in that time of my trouble, he hid me in the secret of his tabernacle. His tabernacle. He hid me in him. When that storm of God's wrath came flooding down on me, he sheltered me. in the secret safety of his pavilion. He put me in the cliff to the rock. And where I hid then, that's where I'm still hiding right now. He hid me right there. And where I hid then, that's where I'm still hiding right now.

The story is told, I love this story, it's told of a man named Charles Wesley. He was alive in the 1700s, and he was sitting one night in an upstairs room of his house, writing at his desk, and all of a sudden, a great storm immediately rose up. Just immediately. violent thunder and lightning and rain, and he rushed over to the window to close the shutters. And as he was reaching out, a bird flew into his coat. A bird, like he was flying for his life, flew into his coat. And he pulled that little bird into his house And he sat back down at his desk and he wrote,

Jesus, lover of my soul, let me to thy bosom fly.
While the nearer waters roll, while the tempest still is high,
hide me, oh my savior, hide, till the storm of life is past.
Safe into the haven, guide me, guide me.
Oh, receive my soul at last.
Other refuge have I none.
Hangs my helpless soul on thee.
Leave, oh, leave me not alone.
Still support and comfort me.
All my trust on thee is stayed.
All my help from thee I bring.
Cover my defenseless head with the shadow of thy wing.
Thou, O Christ, art all I want.
There's only one thing I desire.
Thou, O Christ, art all I want, more than all in Thee I find.
Raise the fallen, cheer the faint, heal the sick, and lead the blind.
Just and holy is Thy name.
I am all unrighteousness.
False and full of sin I am.
Thou art full of truth and grace.
Plenteous grace with thee is found.
Grace to cover all my sin.
Let the healing streams abound.
Make and keep me pure within.
Thou of life, the fountain art.
Freely let me take of thee.
Spring thou up within my heart.
Rise to all eternity.

Verse four, David said, one thing have I desired of the Lord that will I seek after, that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life to behold the beauty. I just want to behold the beauty, the glory, the graciousness. the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple. For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion. In the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me. He shall set me up upon a rock.

Christ is that rock. Christ is every bit of this so far. Christ is the light. Christ is the salvation. Christ is the strength. Christ is the confidence. Christ is the desire. Christ is the house. Christ is the beauty. Christ is the temple. Christ is the pavilion. Christ is the tabernacle. Christ is the rock.

And verse six says, now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies. Christ is the head. We're the body. He's our head, the head of the church, that in all things, he might have the preeminence.

Verse six, now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me. Therefore will I offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy. I will sing, yea, I will sing praise unto the Lord. By his conquering victory of the cross, he's been highly exalted, given a name which is above every name. And therefore, I will sing praise. I will sing. He's put a new song in me.

If a sinner ever comes to see Christ, not religion, not doctrine, not flesh, not deeds, not if a sinner ever comes to see Christ, he'll have a new song. He'll have a new song in his heart. He's put a new song in me and I'll sing it. Last Friday night, Sophie and Grayson were in an orchestra concert in school and Tony and I were sitting together and we were enjoying the concert and we were talking about how enjoyable and wonderful music in general is. We're just so thankful that God created music. It's so moving. Music can be so emotional. It puts so much emotion into things. And it really grabs your heart. It can really touch you and bless you.

And I said to Tony, can you imagine what the music's gonna be like in glory? Can you imagine? Choirs of angels. You know, Paul said, though I could speak with the tongues of angels. Wait till you just hear the angels speak. Wait till you hear the angels sing. Choirs of angels. Trumpets, horns, instruments of ten strings. Truly, with every fiber of their being, giving glory to God. Every note they play will be singing, not unto us, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory.

What key do you want to play in? Capital C. Ear hath not heard. Ear hadn't heard. Verse six says, now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies. Oh, he was lifted up above all my sin. Christ was lifted up. All my enemies round about me. Therefore will I offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy. I will sing, yea, I will sing praises unto the Lord. Hear, O Lord, when I cry with my voice, have mercy also upon me and answer me.

The fact that we are crying to him means he has already had mercy on us and spoken to us before we ever even cried to him. That's the truth. The fact that we're crying is proof that he had mercy on us and spoke to us and called us before we ever even started crying. That's what David said in verse eight. He said, when thou sensed, seek ye my face. That's the moment my heart started crying unto thee, thy face, Lord. David said, you started this. You spoke first. You drew me first. That's the only reason I'm crying to you. That's the only reason I'm coming to you.

Verse nine, hide not thy face far from me, put not thy servant away in anger. Thou hast been my help, leave me not, neither forsake me, O God of my salvation. The God of our salvation said, really, really, Enjoy this, okay? Enter into this. The God of our salvation said, I'll never leave you. I'll never forsake you. I'll never hide my face from you. I'll never put you away in anger. And the reason is because that's what I endured for you already on the cross of Calvary. The father turned his back on me. The father was far from helping me. Psalm 22. Why are you so far from helping me? He was far from the words of my roaring in his anger on the sin of his people. He put me away, his servant, put not thy servant away. The father said, behold, my servant. He put me away. And for that reason, you'll never be put away. Your place is secured forever.

Verse 10, David said, when my father and my mother forsake me, then the Lord will take me up. That was so, you know, my mother didn't forsake me, but she had to go. And she was not there anymore. And that was such a comfort to me. I'm not alone. Like that old man bent over in the nursing home. Brother Hubert, are you all alone? No, brother, the Lord is with me. No, I'm not all alone. The Lord is with me. We have that promise from him. All of God's people have that promise from him.

Verse 11 says, teach me thy way, O Lord, and lead me in a plain path because of my enemies, because of all this sin that I have. Show me Christ. Our Lord said in John 14, I am the way. I'm the way. Teach me Christ, lead me down the path that will bring me to Christ. Lead me down the path that will bring me to Christ. I'm gonna tell you that that path is not always easy. But if Christ is at the end of it, that's the only path I wanna go down.

Verse 12, deliver me not over unto the will of mine enemies. For false witnesses are risen up against me and such as breathe out cruelty. David, I thought you already declared that Christ had won the victory over all your sinful enemies, the enemies of your own sin. Yes, but they're still tormenting me. They still torment me. They're still plaguing me and haunting me and rising up against me.

Verse 13, he said, I had fainted. unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. If it wasn't for that, if it wasn't for the hope that my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ has set before me, I would have already fallen under the pressure and weight of my sin. Not the struggles of life, but my sin. My sin.

but I haven't fallen because my Lord has sustained me. My sin, oh the bliss of this glorious thought, my sin, not in part, but the whole, was nailed to the cross and I bear it no more. Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, oh my soul. None of his people will fall. Because the Lord our God will sustain us all. He will sustain us all. Every single one of the us will be kept. None will be lost. And real soon that will be proven to us by the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.

Verse 13 says, I had fainted unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait on the Lord. Be of good courage. He shall strengthen thine heart. Yes, eternally, but even in this moment, I can tell you from that lost place 25 years ago, He strengthened my heart. Wait on the Lord, be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart. Wait, I say, on the Lord.

Just turn your eyes upon the Lord Jesus, look full into his wonderful face, and the things of this earth will grow strangely dim in the light of his glory and grace. Wait on the Lord, be of good courage, he'll strengthen your heart. Wait, I say, on the Lord.