“The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life: of whom shall I be afraid?” Psalm 27:1
In David’s famous Psalm 23, he begins by writing of something he does in his relationship with God that is a key to his life. It is also found throughout his Psalms. He writes: “The Lord is MY Shepherd…” (Ps. 23:1) We see this same pattern when we come to Psalm 27. “The Lord is MY light and MY salvation.” (v.1) David learned early in his life that to know the truth of God was not enough to transform him, as well as his circumstances, in his walk with, and pursuit of God. He learned the key of grasping well the truth and the ways of God, and then by faith taking God to be what He has revealed Himself to be. In the case of David’s need to be led, protected, and provided for, He takes the Lord Jesus as his shepherd. He takes a stand of faith, based on the revealed truth of God. In essence, He takes the Lord to be to him what the Lord has revealed of Himself. Another example is that of “my salvation,” and “the strength of my life.” David takes by faith the Lord to actually be his salvation and the strength of his life.
In Psalm 16, we discover the very practical application of this appropriation of Christ. David knows that God will reveal Himself to his heart in accordance with his faith in truth. Thus, David writes: “The Lord is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup: Thou maintainest my lot.” (v.5) With the committal to believe God specifically with regard to his known needs revealed to him by God, David knows for sure that the Lord will respond to such faith, for He is the Rewarder of those that diligently seek Him. If there is one thing that is very clear here it is that God is not known only by sitting in the rocking chair of truth. There must be the seeking of Him, according to the truth, and the active appropriation of Christ by faith. We see the practicalness of David in this matter when he writes: “I have set the Lord before me: because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved.” (16:8) David actively, and deliberately “sets” the Lord before him. What does he mean by this? One might say that he does not need to say or do this because the Lord is always present. The fact of His presence is true. But it is in the appropriation of the Lord that the believer is actively trusting Him to work and move in a specific way. So, just as at the Lord’s supper, the Lord Jesus distributed the bread to the disciples, instructing them to “eat,” so He instructs us through David to “set” Him before the believer. Note that David goes on to speak of the blessing of such a specific act of faith: “…because He is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.” (v.8) In speaking of his right hand, David speaks of the authority that God gives him to go forward, to walk, and to fight the good fight of faith. It is a spiritual authority. Also, coupled with that thought is the fact that God’s authority given to David provides a stability in the face of difficulty and opposition, that God alone gives. Here is a man who is very confident that, “…I shall not be moved.” This is that same stability that is found in Psalm 46:5, in speaking of the city of God: “God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: God shall help her, and that right early.”
In the New Testament, the Lord Jesus has consecrated practially a whole section of John’s gospel to speak of this matter of appropriation. He, the true vine, gives life and power to the branches, as they “abide” in Him, receiving all from Him by faith.
Dear Father, Strengthen us to abide in Christ. In Jesus’ name, Amen.