Psalm 27

By John Carlson

The presence of God is real, personal and meaningful. God is everywhere and so always with us. The key is in seeking God’s face in order to live in a greater realization of His transformational presence. Psalm 27 dives deep into King David’s experience of living in the context of the presence of the Lord. This volume examines what it is to Seek God’s face, pursue intimacy with the Lord, as well as challenges to help the reader work through the doubts and distractions that will inevitably arise. This is a Devotional Commentary complete with study questions designed to draw draw the reader further into study and personal application.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Apr 21, 2015
• ISBN: 9781329082175

Book preview

Psalm 27

Psalm 27

Victory in God’s Presence

Devotional Commentary Series

John Paul Carlson

Closer Look Ministries

Beaumont, CA

Psalm 27

Victory in God’s Presence

Devotional Commentary Series

© Copyright John Paul Carlson 2015

978-1-329-08217-5 All rights reserved.

Published by: John Paul Carlson, Beaumont, CA

www.johnpcarlson.com

All Scripture taken from the

NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®,

unless otherwise noted.

© Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation

Used by permission." www.Lockman.org

Where is God? Our Bibles tell us that God is present with us all of the time. Look at Psalm 139:7-12:

7. Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence?

8. If I ascend to heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, You are there.

9. If I take the wings of the dawn, If I dwell in the remotest part of the sea,

10. Even there Your hand will lead me, And Your right hand will lay hold of me.

11. If I say, Surely the darkness will overwhelm me, And the light around me will be night,

12. Even the darkness is not dark to You, And the night is as bright as the day. Darkness and light are alike to You.

God is everywhere! However, He is not just present in the sense of a benign physical presence; He is intricately present in the existence of things in all places and at all times. Acts 17:28:

For in Him we live and move and exist, as even some of your own poets have said, 'For we also are His children.

Col 1:16 "For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities--all things have been created through Him and for Him.

17. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.

18. He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything."

All of life and existence is held in the hands of God. God is not just a witness to the activities of the world; He is meaningfully active and strategically necessary for all of life. So while the Bible tells us that almighty God is present, the question we must ask is, How conscious are we of this truth?

The casual language of followers of Jesus generally reflects a belief that God is present and active in our lives.  Even the phrase, Thank you Lord! reflects a belief that God is present and listening. However, the specifics of how that presence is played out day to day are a bit more difficult.  We seem to recognize the presence of the Lord in a hit and miss sort of fashion.  While it is hard for many of us to put our finger on the prescription for discovering God’s presence in a given situation, yet most of us have known and recognized His presence on countless occasions. 

Can we learn to be aware of the presence of the Lord in such a way as to foster a more common experience of it?  Is it