Seven Songs for Every Season | PT.2 Psalm 27 The Soldier's Song

Some of my earliest childhood memories are of riding in the car with my father and listening to music.

I remember hearing classic songs like “Fire and Rain” by James Taylor and “Hotel

California” by the Eagles. I learned early in life that music can stir our emotions. Some songs

inspire us, while others bring us to tears.

We all have songs that have shaped our lives or embedded a memory deep within our minds. Some songs remind us of early days of dating, while others carry us through disappointments.

We even have songs for specific occasions, such as weddings, funerals, and workouts.

There are songs for celebration, and there are songs for battle.

But then there are songs that help us reach out to God in worship and prayer – songs that are more than melodies. They become a lifeline to God.

That is exactly what we find in Psalm 27.

A Song for Life’s Battles

The word psalm means “song.” The Book of Psalms is God’s inspired songbook, written by

various authors, the best known of whom is King David. Through these songs, David gives voice to nearly every human emotion – joy and sorrow, praise and repentance, confidence and fear.

Psalm 27 has a particular purpose. It is a song for those facing a spiritual battle. It has often

been called “The Soldier’s Song.”

David earned a reputation as a courageous warrior from an early age. He knew his way around the battlefield. Many commentators believe he wrote this psalm during one of the darkest battles of his life.

Although he had been anointed as Israel’s next king, instead of immediately ascending to the throne, he found himself fleeing from the jealous King Saul.

A careful reading of Psalm 27 reveals the decisions that enabled David to endure hardship and remain confident in God.

Psalm 27 is a song for every season of life, but especially for those seasons when life feels like a battlefield. David shows us how to keep singing in those seasons.

First: Encourage Yourself in the Lord Through Every Battle

Samuel the prophet anoints David as Israel’s future king while King Saul was still on the throne.

The first sign of David’s anointing appears when he steps onto the battlefield to meet Goliath. He defeats the Philistine champion, and his reputation as a great warrior begins.

Saul, consumed with jealousy and fear that David would overshadow him, tried to kill David

several times.

First Samuel tells us that David was forced to escape into Philistine territory. Think about the paradox of David’s life.

He knew God had anointed him to be king, but for the moment he was on the run. He hid in

caves and searched for food. As darkness fell each night, David may have wondered... would

Saul’s men find him? Would they surprise him in his sleep and thrust a sword through him?

David could easily have been consumed by fear or by the idea that God’s plan for his life was

lost.

But he made a decision that made all the difference.

He decided to encourage himself in the Lord.

“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?” – Psalm 27:1

God Is Our Light in the Unknown

When David encouraged himself in the Lord, he could deal with the fear of the unknown and

what he could not understand.

David was saying, “I may be in dark circumstances, but God is my light.”

In Scripture, light is often used as a metaphor for God’s wisdom. David was saying, in essence, that because he had a relationship with God, God would give him wisdom. God covered him like a stronghold or a fortress around him.

God Is Our Stronghold Against Our Enemies

When David encouraged himself in the Lord, he also overcame the fear of his enemies.

“When evildoers assail me to eat up my flesh, my adversaries and foes, it is they who stumble and fall.

Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war arise against me, yet I will be confident.” – Psalm 27:2–3

David’s secret was using covenant-rooted affirmation to overcome fear. He affirmed his

relationship with God. He decided to encourage himself in the Lord, and this was a habit for

David, not a one-time thing.

Years after writing Psalm 27, David faced one of the darkest moments of his life. While he and his men were away, the Amalekites attacked their camp in Ziklag, burned the city, and carried off their wives and children.

The men were so devastated that they “spoke of stoning him” (1 Samuel 30:6).

David had lost his home, his family, and even the support of his closest friends.

Yet the Bible records one remarkable sentence:

“But David strengthened himself in the LORD his God.” – 1 Samuel 30:6

David did not suddenly become courageous at Ziklag. He had trained his heart for years to run to God before giving in to fear.

Psalm 27 lets us hear what that spiritual training sounded like: “The LORD is my light and my

salvation; whom shall I fear?”

Long before David faced Ziklag, he had learned to encourage himself in the Lord.

Charles H. Spurgeon described this moment in David’s life: “How grand he is amid the ruins!

He rises to his full height, while his fortunes fall!”

Maybe you would say, “I want to be a strong soldier for the Lord, but too often I affirm the battle I am in more than my relationship with God. I affirm my fears more than my faith.”

Here is a decision we can all make:

Decide to encourage yourself in the Lord.

2. Seek God’s Presence Through Every Battle

Another day while David was on the run, he came to a place called Nob and found shelter with a priest named Ahimelech. The priest fed David and gave him a moment of rest.

He asked the priest, “Do you happen to have a spear or a sword?” The priest told him that the sword of Goliath, whom David had killed, was there.

David took it and fled to a place called Gath, but it proved to be a wrong turn. Soldiers of the king of Gath captured him, and David knew the king might have him killed.

The Bible says David acted like a madman, faking insanity, clawing at the doors of the city

gates, and letting saliva run down his beard. David narrowly escaped death again.

If you read the account in First Samuel, you realize that this was one of the lowest points in

David’s life.

The words of Psalm 27 suggest that he may have worried about something that crosses all our minds when we are in trouble. David worried that God might have abandoned him because of his sins.

But notice what David writes:

“Hear, O LORD, when I cry aloud; be gracious to me and answer me! You have said, ‘Seek my face.’ My heart says to you, ‘Your face, LORD, do I seek.’” – Psalm 27:7–8

David was overwhelmed, but instead of letting these feelings overtake him, he made another critical decision.

He sang a different tone than what his emotions dictated.

He used the moment of adversity to turn to the Lord in humility and repentance.

This is true for us, too. Adversity is not fun, but sometimes it is the only thing that brings us to God.

Here is the secret: David used adversity to build sanctification in his life.

Have you ever wondered if your failures have brought on the battle?

The truth is that our failures and persistent sin can bring hardship. God scolded His children in Jeremiah 5:25, saying, “Your sins have withheld good from you.”

Sometimes our sins bring adversity.

But here is the good news: adversity can serve to build sanctification.

Someone needs to make a critical decision – one that will make all the difference in life.

Decide to use adversity to draw you closer to God, not further from God. Sing and worship to seek God’s presence.

3. Wait on God with Hope Through Every Battle

After David reached an all-time low by faking insanity, he escaped to the cave of Adullam in First Samuel 22.

Then something strange happened.

Somehow his relatives heard that David was there, and they came to visit him. David looked

around and noticed that a crowd of men had begun to fill the cave. The Bible says that all those who were in distress, in debt, or discontented gathered around David, and he became their commander.

His first thought might have been, “Thank You, God, for sending me the people nobody wanted to hang out with.”

But instead, David viewed this as a sign that God’s plan was unfolding in his life.

From this time on, he began to conduct military raids against the enemies of God. His army

grew, and there was a shift in David’s life.

David sings about it this way:

“I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living!” – Psalm 27:13

David was now living in anticipation of what God would do in his life.

Somewhere along the way, David decided to live in anticipation of God's goodness. He sang the song of anticipation – a song of hope.

When I was in the military stationed in Germany, if you got within one hundred days of leaving, you were called a short timer. My sergeant gave me a calendar with one hundred days on it.

Every night before bed, I took a marker, put an X on that day, and counted down. I would lay my head on my pillow and dream of home.

The anticipation kept me going.

I will never forget the day I left Germany. As the plane lifted off the runway, I thought, “I’m going home.”

I believed God had a future for me.

The anticipation kept me going.

Here is the principle: David used anticipation to build hope in his life.

He had been in enough battles to know that God was faithful to His soldiers. David was anointed to be king of Israel at a young age, but he did not take the throne until he was thirty.

Listen to what he says:

“Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD!” – Psalm 27:14

Isn’t it true that the Christian life is a journey of battles and blessings?

Some battles can last for years.

David could testify that it is worth it to wait upon the Lord. He will be faithful. David said, “Be strong! Let your heart take courage! Wait for the LORD!”

March On!

The Christian life is a journey of unspeakable joy and unending battles. Often, the difference-maker is our ability to sing the right song.

Psalm 27 is a song for all seasons, but especially for times of conflict.

When David sang, his words pointed toward the ultimate victory still to come, when Christ would defeat sin and death. Because of Jesus Christ, we do not fight for victory; we stand in the victory He has already won.

So sing this song.

Turn Psalm 27 into a prayer, and meditate on its words until they produce confidence in your life.

Until next time, keep growing in Christ!

Pastor Bob

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About Pastor Bob Moya, DMin.

Dr. Bob Moya has served as the lead pastor with his wife Candace at City Chapel in Arlington, Texas for over 25 years. He recently graduated with a doctorate degree in Spiritual Renewal and Leadership in the spring of 2024. When not serving at the church, you'll find Bob enjoying a good read at Barnes & Noble, sipping a nitro cold brew or black coffee from Starbucks, or spending time with his family.