Psalm 27:14
14 Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.
David’s troubles had multiplied since he was anointed by Samuel to be the king of Israel. He elucidated some of his troubles in verse 2 – “the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh”. The ferocious hostility of the ungodly was relentless in David’s life. Yet he endured the cruel and vicious aggression of his enemies by waiting on the LORD. He would teach himself not to be afraid, but to valiantly do all his duties by relying on the LORD’s might. He would affirm the LORD’s protective power by making such confessions as: “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?” (v. 1); “Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident” (v. 3). David also spoke of his confidence in the unfailing help and strength he would receive from the LORD – “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” (v. 5). So he constantly pleaded for the LORD’s help (cf. vv. 7-13).
As God’s chosen leader of His people, David cannot be faint-hearted. He must be undaunted by the troubles; he must exhibit courage and strength to cheer and lead God’s people forward in the ways of the LORD. Having strengthened himself in the LORD, David then exhorted God’s people at the end of the psalm to find their courage and strength in the LORD, just as he had – “Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.”
Christians of our time do feel discouraged, troubled and faint-hearted due to the intense hostility of the world and its prince (i.e. the devil). Besides, the demands and struggles in the service of God can also render us weary and weak, as attested to by the apostle Paul – “Who is weak, and I am not weak? who is offended, and I burn not?” (2 Corinthians 11:29). Paul was no stranger to severe and formidable struggles – “For, when we were come into Macedonia, our flesh had no rest, but we were troubled on every side; without were fightings, within were fears. Nevertheless God, that comforteth those that are cast down, comforted us by the coming of Titus” (2 Corinthians 7:5-6). Let us, therefore, also exhort one another to be strong in the LORD as we serve Him in the midst of opposition and trials.