CHANGING MOODS

Psalm 27
CHANGING MOODS
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? (v.1)

One of the sublimest affirmations in Scriptures, David's declaration here underlines his absolute confidence in his God. All fear is banished, dispelled by light. No uncertainty remains, not when the LORD is the stronghold.

David did not say these words in the absence of trouble. He uttered them in the face of many foes out to harm him. He spoke of evil men advancing against him (v.2), and an army beseiging him, even of war breaking out against him (v.3). In the midst of all these dangers, he could sing and make music to the LORD (v.6).

But suddenly, in verse seven, the mood changes. The mood of the first part of the psalm (vv.1-6) is so different from that of the second (vv.7-12) that some have suggested we have here two psalms woven into one. However, John Stott disagrees: "Yet those who know something of the soul's moods, of the ebb and flow of faith, and of the alternating rhythm of praise and prayer, will see no necessity for this double ascription" (The Canticles And Selected Psalms, p.84).

With the change from confident affirmation to anxious supplication comes also the switch from the third person to the second. The psalmist is no longer talking about God; he is now talking to God. "Do not hide your face from me.... Do not reject me or forsake me, O God my Saviour" (v.9). So it is with us. When trouble comes, theology becomes prayer.

As the psalm moves to its end, the psalmist's confidence is restored (v.13). At the end of the tunnel, the light shines again. When our trust in God is tested, and proved sound, our faith is renewed. Our fear has come and gone.

Our soul's moods may change, but never God's faithfulness.