The Lord is my light and my salvation— whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life—
of whom shall I be afraid?
When the wicked advance against me to devour me, it is my enemies and my foes who will stumble and fall. Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then I will be confident.
One thing I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple. For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his sacred tent and set me high upon a rock.
Then my head will be exalted above the enemies who surround me; at his sacred tent I will sacrifice with shouts of joy; I will sing and make music to the Lord.
Hear my voice when I call, Lord; be merciful to me and answer me. My heart says of you, “Seek his face!” Your face, Lord, I will seek. Do not hide your face from me, do not turn your servant away in anger; you have been my helper. Do not reject me or forsake me, God my Savior. Though my father and mother forsake me, the Lord will receive me. Teach me your way, Lord; lead me in a straight path because of my oppressors. Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes, for false witnesses rise up against me, spouting malicious accusations.
I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.
I find it easy to wait for the Lord and ask for directions when I'm making large life decisions, like where to go to college or what to do after. When life is changing in perceivably large ways, I'm quick to ask God for direction.
I'm less quick when it comes to the day to day decisions, like "what should I eat?" or "how should I spend this hour?"
I have no trouble believing that God is for me when I face the large armies of life decisions. I do have trouble remembering that he's with me when I go to get coffee.
But if I only had one thing to ask of Him, would I ask what David asked? "That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple." Is that the question I would ask? Am I confident that "I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living?" Am I confident that He will use me to bring His goodness to the land of the living?
As I face exciting prospects, I find I'm less quick to ask for direction, since it seems God is opening doors. But when so many amazing doors open, am I to walk through the doors or look around for the crawlspace? Do I even know if I should look for a crawlspace?
The large of it is this: I can't know what God would have me do unless I ask. When I have many exciting options, I'm quick to act before I wait.
So today, I say this as much to myself as to you: Be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.
J. J. Hanna is a writer and reader who loves God and wants to help encourage others with what she knows and what she's learning. Answer her questions with a quick note and connect with her on social media. She's excited to hear from you!