I’ve been stewing. Ever since reading Psalm 27 about a week ago, the last verse has been tumbling over and over in my mind.

“Wait patiently for the Lord.
Be brave and courageous.
Yes, wait patiently for the Lord.”
King David in Psalm 27:14 (NLT)

“Isn’t this contradictory? Doesn’t being brave and courageous mean pushing forward? Entering the fight? How can I be brave and courageous at the same time as waiting patiently for the Lord?” I wondered. My mind has not rested trying to understand. It seems that God wakes me up at night to give me time to think. Ever experience this?

When you really get into the Word of God, the Holy Spirit has a way of pushing you deeper.

Perhaps you’ve heard of the concept of receiving a word from God that will act as a guide post for your entire year. At the beginning of the year, ask God for your one word and listen to receive it. Your word could come quickly or it may take a few weeks. I’ve done this for a number of years and find it quite beneficial. Check out the book, My One Word (Ashcraft and Olsen 2012), for more details.

Turns out that my word for 2020 is “Bold” (perhaps this piqued my interest in David’s words?) Up to this point, I’ve kept Proverbs 28:1 (“…but the godly are as bold as a Lion”) locked in my mind. You see, I’ve been trying to move ahead on some things boldly, confidently. But here’s the thing, I just seem to run into wall after wall. What’s up with that?

“God, didn’t you tell me to be bold as a lion?”  

Perhaps you sense my frustration and understand the root of my stewing. I needed to figure this out, so I dug deeper into the Psalm. David starts this Psalm boldly….

“The Lord is my light and my salvation—
so why should I be afraid?
The Lord is my fortress, protecting me from danger,
so why should I tremble?
² When evil people come to devour me,
when my enemies and foes attack me,
they will stumble and fall.
³ Though a mighty army surrounds me,
my heart will not be afraid.
Even if I am attacked,
I will remain confident.”
King David in Psalm 27:1-3

…but then he shifts to pleading with God.

“Do not turn your back on 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!”
Psalm 27:9

I can hear myself in his words. “Don’t leave me now; don’t abandon me O God of my Salvation!”

Having attempted to move forward boldly, only to run into wall after wall, how could I not feel abandoned? 

Earlier in the Psalm, David manages to express in words what I think is the deepest desire in all of us (we just don’t know it.)

“The one thing I ask of the Lord—
the thing I seek most—
is to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,
delighting in the Lord’s perfections
and meditating in his Temple.”
Psalm 27:4

Intimacy with God… If only we made this our top priority it would change everything!

David’s pleading captures his fear of losing this most important thing. He understands that boldness (even for the sake of God’s Kingdom), is a waste if we run ahead of God.

We must go forward boldly, together.

Joshua had a super encounter with God before entering the Promised Land. Over and over, the Lord tells him to “be strong and courageous.” If Joshua studied, meditated on and obeyed everything in the Word, the Lord would be with Joshua and make him successful.

“Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do. ⁹ This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
Joshua 1:8-9.

Together, they conquered Jericho in a wild and crazy way. Wow! Marching around Jericho day after day, victory without a battle; talk about being bold! Joshua was clinging to God, obeying. He led the Israelites to patiently follow the Lord’s instructions, marching around Jericho for six days, then seven times on the seventh day. I can’t imagine the thoughts in Joshua’s mind when the walls fell.

While I have not seen such incredible miracles as this, I have experienced the beauty of victory that comes when clinging to God. There is nothing quite like it when you act boldly together, obeying God’s instructions and watching him bring victory. Herein lies the problem:

Experiencing victory together with God leads to unhealthy self-confidence and failure.

This almost sounds wrong until you add in human nature. Look what happened to Joshua after victory over Jericho.

“Joshua sent some of his men from Jericho to spy out the town of Ai, east of Bethel, near Beth-aven. ³ When they returned, they told Joshua, “There’s no need for all of us to go up there; it won’t take more than two or three thousand men to attack Ai. Since there are so few of them, don’t make all our people struggle to go up there.”
Joshua 7:2-3

Feeling like they were still intimate with the Lord, they could not lose, right? See the overconfidence? Yet in reality, the Israelites had moved apart from God. The sting of defeat is painful. Joshua learned an invaluable lesson and so have I:

“Wait patiently for the Lord.
Be brave and courageous.
Yes, wait patiently for the Lord.”

We must be bold together with God to experience victory.

But watch out! We must be wary after experiencing victory with the Lord. Watch as the wickedness of our human nature begins to take credit. How quickly we forget the Lord. Pride subtly slips into the driver’s seat. Be bold in the Lord by going back to the beginning. David renews his confidence, remembering God’s promises to him.

“Yet I am confident I will see the Lord’s goodness
while I am here in the land of the living.”
Psalm 27:13

He reminds himself of his deepest desire, for intimacy with his creator, and who the Lord is. He would rather wait patiently for the Lord, then fall victim to his enemies going it alone.

Step one, before any attempt at boldness, is to deepen your relationship with God. This is the first step in the five step Mission Curve™ process. Are you tired of running into wall after wall? Engage the Mission Curve™ Process and enter into the Adventure God Made You For. Let’s talk.

Go to www.bobblackcoaching.com to schedule a free consultation.