We talk about track records a good bit: what’s this or that athlete’s track record? How far can they kick? How many goals did they score this year? We think about the track record for a figure in politics, business, or the news: what are their past achievements or failures? We rightly think we can predict how a certain person will behave by looking at their past actions, decisions, or statements. How did they perform in the past?
The Psalmist in Psalm 27 thinks over the track record of God in his past life and knows he can be confident no matter what disasters happen in his life. His trust in God does not wane in times of trouble.
The normal state of affairs in many Psalms is for the Psalmist first to ask God for help, to complain and bewail his troubles, and then by the end, show some confidence in God’s ability to help and save. Sometimes near the end of the Psalm, the psalmist speaks from a place later in life when the whole outcome is known and there is safety to reflect. They look back and see how God has been good to them.
This Psalm isn’t like that. It starts with confidence in God and stays there.
The Psalmist has lived with God’s goodness for a while, and he knows God’s faithful goodness in every circumstance. He starts with confidence in God and says he does not fear foes and enemies, armies or war. Even then I will be confident, he says.
Our passage then outlines a dreamlike vision of what it will be like to be with God, to dwell in his house all his days, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord, to seek him in his Temple, to be safe in God’s dwelling, protected and close to God. The Psalmist thinks about what that will be like, even as he confronts enemies and armies. His inner vision of God’s love for him is a great source of strength.
And he doesn’t just think these pleasures are for the afterlife. He ends by saying confidently that he will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living, in the here and now. He knows those beautiful visions of God’s closeness are a part of his daily life. He asks us to be strong and take heart, and wait on the Lord, who is faithful and true to us.