Before we step into a new sermon series, we are going to take a moment to pause— a moment to contemplate. Over the past several weeks we have covered quite a bit of teaching, prophecy, history, and narrative, and we are so grateful for the fruit that has come from all of that. But today, we are going to simplify a little and just go through a psalm verse-by-verse.

Psalm 27 offers us a masterclass in faith under pressure, revealing how we can maintain confidence even when surrounded by circumstances that threaten to devour us. The imagery is visceral—enemies wanting to 'eat up my flesh'—yet David's response isn't to beg for changed circumstances, but to seek God's face above all else. This psalm teaches us a profound truth: our greatest need isn't for God to fix our problems, but for God Himself. When David declares 'one thing I have asked of the Lord,' he shows us what it means to keep the main thing the main thing—dwelling in God's presence and gazing upon His beauty. The structure of this psalm mirrors our own faith journey: confidence, desire for intimacy, honest crying out, and returning to trust. What makes this particularly powerful is David's refusal to ask God to remove his enemies; instead, he asks for God's presence in the midst of battle. This reveals a mature understanding that David had and one that we can learn from— suffering produces character, and hard times can actually consume the parts of us that aren't of God—our flesh, our sinful patterns, our disordered priorities. The psalm reminds us that we were made for fellowship with God, and when we seek His hand instead of His face, we miss the deeper satisfaction our souls truly crave.