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Tonight's exhortation is entitled "Encouraging Yourself in the Lord". Encouraging yourself in the Lord. Now I take this portion of the Scripture. Now in some of the King James Bible some of you are using, you'll find that this Psalm comes with a superscription, isn't it? You might find in very fine italics right above Psalm 27. It says "A Psalm of David". Some of you will find that right.

So the translators of the Bible (of course the people who look through) would know that this passage or this particular Psalm was written by King David himself.

Now I want to focus our attention on the first five verses of this Psalm, and I want to draw for our encouragement and exhortation. Have you observed in life Christians whose life and faith is firmly founded upon the Lord? And you will see that these people—men, women, brothers, sisters—who are very mature in the faith, that they are hardly shaken by the troubles of life. They may be (if you look at their lives and look at the afflictions and trials that may come upon them), from an observer's point of view, you may look upon them and say, "Wow, how terrible it is to come under such testing." But yet these people appear unshaken. They seem to be so firm in the faith, so resolute in their conviction of following the Lord and depending upon the Lord, that nothing seems to face them, isn't it?

For instance, at camp, we hear of this testimony of how this parent, right, for 14 years have been taking care of a child who has a great need, right? Medical need and a need for medical assistance. And it must have been a great burden. But yet, how is it that Christians even though in affliction and distress and sometimes over long periods of time are still able to encourage themselves and be strengthened in the faith.

Today we have an example from this man, the psalmist David, who wrote about how he's been encouraged or how he encourages himself in the Lord. So let's begin with chapter—uh—Psalm 27:1. It begins with David the psalmist writing: "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, KJV).

David begins this Psalm by announcing to the readers the things that threaten him—in particular, people. People who want to come upon him. That's why he says, "Of whom shall I be afraid?" And we know in David's life, in the course of David's life, he had been threatened many times. Right? In the early part of his engagement in the palace, we know that at one point Saul was so envious of his success that Saul wanted to kill him, right? To get rid of the competition, as they may say. So he had to hide in the wilderness. And then even through the wilderness, he was hiding and running. He was a refugee running away from a king who was determined to take his life. And then there was even one time when he had to go to a Philistine king by the name of Achish (you remember that he had to go to the king to seek refuge). This was the disasters and calamities that David encountered throughout his life.

Now one particularly eventful moment and very significant moment was a point in time when David was in a place called Ziklag. Ziklag was like (if you may say) a field headquarters for him and his men, right, who were loyal and with him. They operated from that area, and their wives and their children were kept in this place called Ziklag. But the enemy came and they ransacked the place, and they took away all the wives and children from this place called Ziklag. And the man was severely discouraged.

And this event is recorded for us in the book of 1 Samuel, chapter 30. 1 Samuel chapter 30. And in verse six, we read in the midst of all that despair, the Bible records for us this very faithful sentence in the latter portion of this verse. 1 Samuel 30:6 (KJV) says, "David encouraged himself in the LORD." David encouraged himself in the Lord.

Now Bible scholars and students throughout the years have tried hard to analyse and understand what this means and how it is applied to the believer, because if we truly know what went through David's mind (the psalmist) and the trials and afflictions that he had gone through, then we too can find this solace in being able to encourage ourselves in the Lord. Because a man whose wives and family have been taken away, and the goods or assets that he has accumulated are ransacked and stolen, and the place which he thought would be a place of refuge and rest for him has been destroyed and discovered by the enemy—what is there left in life, especially if this person is a fugitive? Nothing left, isn't it?

But yet despite that calamity, despite that which many would call a great failure and setback, David encouraged himself in the Lord. So starting from Psalm 27:1, we see David's courage in depending on the Lord.

So verse one of Psalm 27 says, "The LORD is my light and my salvation" (Psalm 27:1, KJV). A very important understanding in our relationship with God. Before we can encourage ourselves in the Lord, we must know that God is our light and our salvation. Well, why light? Light because it gives illumination and brilliance. It gives a sense of security. Is it not true that if you were to ask a security consultant about the security of your home or your business premises or your warehouse or whatever, the first thing they'll tell you is, "Illuminate the place. Put in searchlights"? Because the light will bring about clarity, and then those who work the works of darkness will not want to be there. They don't want to be in the spotlight.

God is my light and my salvation. God is my help. God is the one who makes my way clear. Early on we sang, "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path" (Psalm 119:105, KJV). To make it very clear to me what I ought to do. To make it very clear to me that the path before me is clear and visible to me. I will not stumble or fall. Security in the Lord.

This is the thought of the psalmist David encouraging himself in the Lord. But the premise of being able to be encouraged in the Lord is our faith that God is our light and our salvation. And in saying that, I must lay the foundation of spiritual understanding of salvation. We know that our sins are forgiven in the Lord Jesus Christ. We know that we have peace with God through the accomplished work that Jesus has done on the cross for us. We know that in Him we have the gift of eternal life and reconciliation with our heavenly Father. Spiritually we know we have salvation. And therefore in any event in our life, in any situation we may encounter, we know that God is our light and our salvation.

Now the second part of verse one of Psalm 27, right? "Whom shall I fear?" Right? "The LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?" (Psalm 27:1, KJV). The Lord is the one who gives me strength. When you say you are encouraged, it means (well, in the contemporary language which we use) that we are emboldened. We are strengthened. We have a certain sense of confidence, isn't it? And that confidence can only come about if you have strength. If you are in a position of weakness and you are unable to defend yourself or unable to have that strength to carry out the task that you need to do, well, you may not have the confidence to do that.

So Psalm 27:1 tells us of the psalmist King David's interaction with God and the foundation of his understanding and of security in this life, of confidence in this life. Confidence not in the things of this world but in God alone. God is my light and my salvation. God is the strength of my life. Once you have that foundation, nothing can shake you or faze you.

Because if you look at the next two verses, it describes how David is still maintaining that composure and that confidence. So let's look at verses 2 and 3. "When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell" (Psalm 27:2, KJV). And verse three says, "Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident" (Psalm 27:3, KJV). "In this will I be confident." Of course, in this we see what is a literary device called an ellipsis. In this—what is this? In this confidence I have in God. In this I will be sure.

So verse two tells us when the wicked, even mine enemies—you see verse two and verse three are separate descriptions of the threat that surrounds David. Verse two says, "Even the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh." It refers to the ferocity and intensity of the threat. Sometimes we are threatened in this manner, isn't it? Imagine if you're a breadwinner in a family and the only livelihood you depend on is that job that gives you your monthly paycheck, and that is the same livelihood you depend upon to pay your bills, to send your kids to school, and you know, do all the things that you need to do to maintain your family expenses. And you know that if you were to lose that, you're going to come upon hard times. You may have to first depend on your savings, and then when that's gone, well, you can only look and hope and pray. And that's a severe threat, that's an intense threat. But in another sense, there may be also intense threat. When we were at camp, we learned about the first-century Christians, how they were threatened by persecution from the Roman Empire. That can be very ferocious and very intense. It has to be, because it talks about potentially losing your life, potentially the lives of your loved ones. Very intense and ferocious testing.

Such is the device of our adversary, the devil. He wants to make his attack upon the believer so scary, so ferocious, that the believer will be shaken. But you realise the psalmist is not, because he begins by saying, "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, KJV). Even when my enemies, the wicked, they compass around me to eat my flesh—ferocity, vigorous and intense and violent to be acted upon—yet he's not afraid. He's not afraid at all.

You know, those of you if you have read books on military engagements or you've undergone some form of military training, you would know this. The ferocity and the intensity of an attacking force often determines the victory of the battle. Right? You might have read that. That's why some of the well-known elite troopers and fighters renowned throughout the world in armies, they are well known for their bravery and courage in battle. They are ferocious in battle. They're like wolves. They're like lions in battle. They're ferocious. Such is the kind of intense violence that is threatening the psalmist. But even in that, he says, "The LORD is my light and my salvation. I do not fear."

So brothers and sisters, let this be our encouragement. Whatever that challenge you're facing, whatever that trial that is in your life at the moment (and this is a good point in the week, midweek, to think about it, to reflect upon it, and to pray upon it), no matter how ferocious that challenge is or no matter how intense the enemy—the devil—tries to put fear and anxiety into your heart, do not fear. Be like the psalmist. "The LORD is my light and my salvation: whom shall I fear?" (Psalm 27:1, KJV). Nothing. Because God is my strength.

When the psalmist moves on to verse three, he speaks about another aspect of the threat. And this is in verse three. He says, "Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident" (Psalm 27:3, KJV). In God and God's strength and God's salvation, I will be confident.

Now, the idea of an enemy encamping against you, right, tells of a siege. The enemy has surrounded you. You have no way of escape. So whereas verse two speaks about the ferocity and intensity of the attack, verse three speaks about a hopeless cause. The enemy has already surrounded me. My supply lines are cut off. Eventually I will starve or run out of water or whatever supplies I need. I'll run out of weapons to fight the enemy with, and eventually he'll be able to surround and encroach upon me and breach the walls and therefore overwhelm me.

A constant nagging anxiety and threat—and the fruition of such an enemy's attack draws nearer as time passes. That's the idea of siege warfare. To wear down your enemy by surrounding him, by taking away bits and pieces of his supply and his access, and take away the capacity for him to fight, and finally destroy him.

Sometimes the challenges and afflictions upon us may not be intense at the moment, but they will chip away at us like an enemy conducting siege warfare against us. Isn't it? It may be a place of work you're at and you face a kind of challenge. It may be a difficult colleague, or maybe a difficult company, or a difficult superior in your enterprise or corporation that you have to work with. And you find that this difficulty is wearing you down so much so that your spiritual life is affected. You may think to yourself come Friday, you know, "I'm so tired this week of all these conflicts and all these issues that seem to be unable to be resolved. I don't think I have the energy to go to prayer meeting." That's what can happen. In fact, you might even be tempted to think, "This weekend I may not even have the energy to come to church. I'm so worn out. My mind is so full of anxiety and trouble."

The enemy, our adversary, can do that to a believer. But never succumb, because like David the psalmist, he says, "In this will I be confident." And what is this? We know exactly what this is. This is my God who is my light and my salvation. "Whom shall I fear?" (Psalm 27:1, KJV). And in this shall I be confident? What is it that I shall be confident of? "The LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?" (Psalm 27:1, KJV).

And I pray in the middle of this week, as you think and pray upon our great and mighty God, and whatever challenges that you're trying to overcome or whatever affliction, however severe or however minor it may be that is afflicting your life, think of the words of Psalm 27. "The LORD is my light and my salvation" (Psalm 27:1, KJV).

Now it is very interesting—and you probably might have heard about this in previous sermons—that in the Hebrew language very often phrases are expressed in the perfect tense, meaning if something is said or written in a sentence, it is often stated in the past tense as if it's already accomplished. And this is how many prophecies are expressed, as if as you're reading it, it is as good as a promise delivered.

And this is the sense and the state of mind the psalmist has when he writes verses four and five. So this is what he says. Let's read verses four and five. In verse four he says, "One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in His temple" (Psalm 27:4, KJV). And verse five continues, "For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion: in the secret of His tabernacle shall He hide me; He shall set me up upon a rock" (Psalm 27:5, KJV).

Now, while we may not know exactly precisely which point in David's life that King David—or the refugee David, the fugitive David—wrote these words, we know that there were many instances in David's life where he was away from the capital city, from the places of worship, and he was seeking refuge in the wilderness. And in those moments his heart would deeply desire to be able to worship God. He says in verse four, "One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life" (Psalm 27:4, KJV). Now these are the words of David.

Remember at the time of David, the worship was still conducted in a tabernacle, right? It was only his son Solomon who built the Temple. So when David said, "I may dwell in the house of the LORD," what exactly did he mean? He meant the close presence of God with him. He is always sure, and his faith is absolutely strong and founded upon God who is never ever to abandon him. God will always be with him. "I desire of it, and I know I will dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, and I will behold the beauty of the LORD." That's his desire. But he knows God is with him because verse five confirms it. "For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion" (Psalm 27:5, KJV). When I'm surrounded by those ferocious enemies, when I've encountered that situation which I know is so intense it may crush me.

Have you had that feeling before? You're about to go to work and you know that this morning is a time of reckoning, because this is a day when you have to answer for a severe mistake that you have made or perhaps something that you have overlooked, and it's going to cause the company a huge penalty, and you're going to be the one to have to answer for it, and the intensity of that pressure seems to overwhelm you. Or it may be something that is long drawn, chipping away at your life, chipping away at your sense of peace in your heart, affecting your spiritual life. But yet we may, like the psalmist King David, say this—verse five: "For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion: in the secret of His tabernacle shall He hide me; He shall set me up upon a rock" (Psalm 27:5, KJV). He will find me a safe refuge where I will have peace.

How wonderful and how merciful and gracious is our God. "He shall set me up upon a rock" (Psalm 27:5, KJV)—a place of defence.

What do we learn today from these five verses? We learn about the thoughts of a psalmist, a man who has encountered many afflictions and trials in his life. But yet, despite that, we know that this is a man who is able to encourage himself in the Lord. And I urge you, brothers and sisters, as we read these words, let us know and understand that we have a merciful and gracious God who is always ready to help. And if we walk close to Him and base our faith and trust in Him, we too can be like the psalmist and we say, "God is my light and my salvation: whom shall I fear? God is the strength of my life: of whom shall I be afraid?" (Psalm 27:1, KJV). Nothing shall faze us. Nothing shall shake us. Nothing can shake the foundation of our faith on a merciful God who will always help and deliver His beloved children.