The Lord Will Hold Me Close

Psalm 27:7-14

7Listen to my pleading, O LORD.

Be merciful and answer me!

8My heart has heard you say, “Come and talk with me.”

And my heart responds, “LORD, I am coming.”

9Do not hide yourself from me.

Do not reject your servant in anger.

You have always been my helper.

Don’t leave me now; don’t abandon me,

O God of my salvation!

10Even if my father and mother abandon me,

the LORD will hold me close.

11Teach me how to live, O LORD.

Lead me along the path of honesty,

for my enemies are waiting for me to fall.

12Do not let me fall into their hands.

For they accuse me of things I’ve never done

and breathe out violence against me.

13Yet I am confident that I will see the LORD’s goodness

while I am here in the land of the living.

14Wait patiently for the LORD.

Be brave and courageous.

Yes, wait patiently for the LORD.

Few hurts are as grievous as the loss of your parents. You are left feeling alone, abandoned.

Perhaps this is how David felt in 1 Samuel 22:3-4. Still a young man, David had just escaped from King Saul, who was determined to kill him. David ran and hid in a cave along with his brothers and other relatives. But what about his parents, who were now elderly and unable to seek refuge in the cave?

David left his parents in the care of the king of Moab. This was a risky move because he could not be certain that the king would not harm his parents. No doubt David wondered if he would ever see his parents alive again.

According to Jewish rabbinic tradition, the king of Moab betrayed David’s trust and killed his parents. If so, that would account for the revenge David took on Moab in 2 Samuel 8:2. It could also account for verse 10 in this psalm.

Sometimes you may feel abandoned by those close to you as well. This may be due to a death, to divorce, or to some other situation that causes you to distrust someone. This may even lead you to distrust God. Yet, at the same time, you may also feel a deep need for a close relationship.

David found great comfort in the truth that, though his own parents might abandon him, the Lord would hold him close (verse 10). This holds true for you as well.

Nearer, still nearer, nothing I bring,

Naught as an offering to Jesus my King;

Only my sinful, now contrite heart,

Grant me the cleansing Thy blood doth impart.

LELIA N. MORRIS

Bible Networking

Will God ever forget you? Will he abandon you? Read Isaiah 49:13-16.

Notable Quotable

“Man’s best plea is always an echo of God’s promise [see verse 9]. He who has bidden his servants to seek will not hide his face when they obey him.”

A. B. DAVISON