Now Playing: The Decemberists, "Picaresque", "The Engine Driver".

The last day of October. I've spent most of the evening working on senior project and have six pages of unpolished poetry-prose thus far.

Psalm 27.

"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?
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.
One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in His temple.
For He will hide me in His shelter in the day of trouble; He will conceal me under the cover of His tent; He will lift me high upon a rock.
And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies all around me, and I will offer in His tent sacrifices with shouts of joy; I will sing and make melody to the Lord.
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.'
Hide not your face from me. Turn not your servant away in anger, o you who have been my help. Cast me not off; forsake me not, o God of my salvation!
For my father and my mother have forsaken me, but the Lord will take me in.
Teach me your way, o Lord, and lead me on a level path because of my enemies.
Give me not up to the will of my adversaries; for false witnesses have risen against me, and they breathe out violence.
I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living!
Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!"

God is light who dispels fear, who shows reality, who brings warmth and peace, who enables creativity and fruitfulness. No peace outside of this light. Not only do we not know ourselves, but we don't know others, stumbling around a dark room.

The safety and peace for which David prays are for the purpose of worshiping and serving God. David does not seek God's favor for his own sake merely but for his sake in God's glory. One of the most amazing truths about salvation is that Christ has chosen to make our happiness His glory.

"We must value God's power so highly that it puts to flight all fear," says Calvin, even fear from our consciences, Romans 8, especially vs. 34. The fear of God enables more trust of Him. The more powerful and sovereign He is, the more understanding comes of His authority to forgive sin completely, and the more weight the assessment of justification has.

In verse 12, the believer can ventriloquize Christ's words. The witnesses against Him were false because He was perfect; the witnesses against the believer are false because the believer is perfect, too--in Him. Pastor Jones preached at RUF this week to the effect that the believer is so closely united to Christ physically and covenantally that it is as though we ourselves knelt in the Garden and wept tears of blood in obedience.

That sounds like blasphemy to me because I know I'm not capable of that obedience. The Gospel knows I'm not capable of that obedience, too--which is why the union is so close. Just enjoy it.

The union can't always be sensed, though. God commands His people to seek Him, but He enables that seeking, too. He is the God of salvation: His love is irresistible and unchanging. By His character He must draw His people to Himself.

Someday that will happen eternally. The feeling of lostness is no wonder. If we are united to Christ physically, we are also disembodied with Him physically--our bodies, with His, are scattered all over time and space, awaiting the final union, the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. I get impatient for that.

"Wait for the Lord."