Psalm 27 (All the Days)
Before We Sing
with Brett Taylor, Worship Director
Before we sing “Psalm 27 (All the Days Of My Life)” together this Sunday, take a few minutes to listen and reflect on the story, truth, beauty, and goodness of what we are about to sing.
The Story
Two summers ago, we wrote this hymn almost entirely from the language of Psalm 27. We wanted to do more than borrow a few beautiful lines; we wanted to sing our way through David’s prayer—from enemies and cries for help to shelter and singing, and finally to the quiet courage of simply waiting for the Lord.
The Truth
Psalm 27 begins in danger. Enemies surround David, an army encamps against him, and trouble is near. Yet in the middle of all that danger, David asks God for one thing: “to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord.” And before anything around him has changed, he declares, “I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.” Biblical confidence is not pretending the darkness isn’t there; it is trusting that God is present in the midst of it.
The Beauty
Notice where David’s eyes keep moving. He looks around and sees enemies. He looks up and sees shelter. Then he looks toward God and sees beauty. The circumstances have not disappeared, but something more beautiful has entered his field of vision. And when words finally fail, the psalm becomes music: “I will sing and make melody to the Lord.”
The Goodness
And then comes that repeated command: wait. Not solve. Not escape. Not understand. Wait for the Lord. Christian courage is sometimes simply staying where God has called us to trust him.
The Invitation
So bring whatever has your eyes this morning: the fear, the unanswered prayer, the thing you cannot fix. Don’t pretend it isn’t there. Ask God to help you see him more clearly. And as we sing, let David’s prayer become ours: “One thing I ask … let me look upon your beauty.”