Promises of Peace #7

Psalm 27 begins with one of the Psalms best-known statements:

 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?
2 When evildoers assail me
    to eat up my flesh,
my adversaries and foes,
    it is they who stumble and fall.
3 Though an army encamp against me,
    my heart shall not fear;
though war arise against me,
    yet I will be confident.
4 One thing have I asked 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 gaze upon the beauty of the Lord
    and to inquire in his temple.

We saw yesterday in Psalm 34 how David found peace after one of the most fearful and noisy experiences of his days on the run from Saul. Here again he talks about enemies surrounding him, pursuing him.  But He is not intimidated by that.  Why? Rather than taking refuge in a kingly court or mighty fortress, he has chosen to take refuge in the Lord's presence. One of the things David missed when he was on the run was the ability to go to God's house to worship. That's why later he was so committed to the building of the temple. Of course it was not the building, but the presence of God he sought. David knew where true peace, safety and security were to be found, and that's where he firmly put his trust.