UNLESS . . .
PSALM 27:13
PSALM 27:13 NKJ
13 I would have lost heart, unless I had believed
That I would see the goodness of the Lord
In the land of the living.
This is a favorite psalm of mine. If you are thinking that I seem to have a lot of favorites, you are correct. One of the exciting things about God's word is its capacity to speak to our life at different seasons of our life. The same psalm can bring so many different applications. God's word is living and powerful.
This psalm is a great expression of faith. But genuine faith is not denial or living in a fantasy, faith faces difficult times.
David is saying that he would have lost heart. He would have become down and despondent. He must have been facing some negative situations or some very trying times to arrive at this place. I would have been down unless . . . Unless what David? Unless I had believed. David must have believed something different, something beyond the situation he was facing.
He tells us what was keeping him on the positive side. He believed he would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. He believed he would see. Or, in other words, he has not seen anything good yet. But he believes that he will.
David had a great amount of confidence in God's goodness. He knew in his heart that God was real, and that God was really good. So even during hard times, David believed God would show up. Not just when he went to heaven, but now, in the land of the living.
APPLICATION
What do you believe you will see when you look down the road into the future of your life? Will you see God's goodness? Will you see trouble and heartache? Or you have no idea you're just taking life one day at a time?
The reason this question is important is that it will affect your heart and your mental and emotional health. If you believe you will see God's goodness, it's hard to stay down when you are expecting something good.
We would have been discouraged, but we believe we'll see God's goodness. And that's a reason to be glad.
PRAYER
Dear Father, You are good, and You are good to me. I believe I'll see more of Your goodness in my life.