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 PSALM OF TRUST - From the motif
of the parallelism that begins this psalm, comes the content and context for the entirety
of the psalm: trust and confidence in God. In our English translations, the magnificent
statements/rhetorical questions are broken into four half lines; in the Hebrew, however,
the construction is two whole lines; according to Westermann, the Hebrew moves much closer
to a prayer-form and the double address accentuates the parallelism. [1]
METAPHOR -In psalms like this one, such terms as refuge, shelter, tent cover, rock,
fortress, castle, shield, et al, are more than just metaphorical flourish. These
descriptions refer us to concrete divine action-‘he will hide me,’ ‘he will
conceal me’, ‘he will set me’ - so that when God is compared to such
tangibles, the language is not just metaphorical but the comparisons result from
experience and is validated by experience. [2]
FEAR FACTOR - Psalm 27 suggests that the opposite of faith is not so much doubt as it
is fear. For the psalmist to say, "My heart shall not fear" (v. 3), is to say,
"I believe" (v. 24). Psalm 27:3 recalls Psalm 23:4. There, too, the psalmist is
threatened by deadly forces but is able to say, "I fear no evil." The
determining factor is trust in God’s presence-"you are with me" and it is
precisely God’s presence that the psalmist both affirms and continues to seek in
Psalm 27. [3]
 This psalm exposes anxiety as faith’s opposite, rather
than disbelief. The final strophe invites waiting for God. Waiting is difficult,
especially in our age of high-speed modems and blue-tooth technology. Not a far cry to
think that change should come quickly in ourselves. What problem is causing you to feel
anxious or impatient? Can you surrender it to the Lord? Journal it. Share it with another.
Lay your concerns before God.
 You could allow Psalm 27 to lead you
into a discussion about the "Age of Anxiety," as faith’s opposite. That
while fear and worry characterize our post-modern illness, the Scriptures invite us to a
life sustained by trust in God.
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