Pastor’s Pen
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!
The above Psalm is traditionally attributed to David that is a confident lament that moves from bold declaration of trust, through deep longing for God’s presence, to urgent petition, and finally to renewed faith and exhortation. It was likely written during a time of intense personal and military threat (possibly while David was fleeing Saul or during Absalom’s rebellion). It beautifully balances fear (real enemies, abandonment, false accusations) with faith (God as light, salvation, stronghold, refuge, and teacher).
When things get tough, and you are feeling like trouble is all around, people are coming at you, this Psalm will get you refocused on the LORD…. And who doesn’t need to do that. Each section of verses contain specific points for us to ponder and understand. They are as follows:
Verses 1–3 – Unshakable Confidence “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?”
“Light” in the ancient Near East symbolized guidance, life, joy, and deliverance from darkness/chaos. “Salvation” (yeshu‘ah) means deliverance and victory. “Stronghold” (ma‘oz) is a military fortress. David begins with a rhetorical question that expects the answer “No one!” Even when “evildoers assail me to eat up my flesh” (vivid imagery of total destruction) or an army encamps against him, his heart remains unafraid because God is greater than the greatest threat.
Verses 4–6 – Single-Minded Desire “One thing have I asked of the LORD… 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.”
This is the emotional and spiritual center of the psalm. David’s ultimate desire is not merely safety but intimate communion with God—beholding His beauty (delight, splendor, loveliness) and seeking His will (“inquire”). In the midst of crisis, worship and relationship become the priority. God becomes his shelter, tent, and rock (v. 5), lifting his head in victory so he can offer joyful sacrifices and songs.
Verses 7–12 – Urgent Petition “Hear, O LORD… Be gracious to me and answer me!”
The tone shifts to raw pleading. David reminds God of His own command (“Seek my face”) and responds with wholehearted obedience. He fears being cast off, especially since even his parents have forsaken him (v. 10)—a powerful statement of human abandonment. Yet he appeals to God as “my help” and “God of my salvation.” He asks for guidance on a “level path” (straight, safe way) amid treacherous enemies and false witnesses who “breathe out violence.”
Verses 13–14 – Faith and Exhortation “I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living! Wait for the LORD…”
Despite circumstances, David affirms confident hope (“I believe” = “I am confident I will see”). The psalm ends with a command to his own soul and to us: “Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD!” The repetition of “wait” underscores patient, active trust.
Boiling this all down, we find four simple but profound lessons:
– God brings light into our darkness, gives Himself as our refuge, and is our true faithful parent.
– Our relationship with God is of supreme importance when facing troubling circumstances.
– Moving from fear to faith leads us to praise God.
– Waiting on God is an act of courage, it is not passivity.
Now, it is always good devotional exercise, when meditating on the Word of God, to answer the question “how does this and how can I apply this to my life?” And it is likewise a good exercise to do some reflection by asking oneself pointed questions that arise from the passage one is reading, studying, and pondering.
So, here are some everyday life practical applications:
Combat Fear with Truth: When anxiety rises (health, finances, relationships, cultural chaos), speak Psalm 27:1 aloud. Replace “What if…?” with “Whom shall I fear?”
Cultivate the “One Thing”: Make daily time to “gaze upon the beauty of the LORD” through Scripture, worship, and prayer your top priority. Let your relationship with the LORD anchor you.
Wait Actively: Waiting on God is not inaction. It means choosing strength and courage while trusting His timing. Continue obeying, serving, and praying even when answers are delayed.
Turn to God as Father: When people fail you (family, friends, leaders), run to the Lord who never forsakes His children.
Encourage Others: Memorize the last verse to be strengthened and encourage those around you who are weary.
Now that you have read Psalm 27, looked at what God is telling you, and have some applications in your spiritual tool box, please take the time to do some self-reflection by considering these questions:
What current “army” or threat is trying to make you afraid? How does remembering God as your light, salvation, and stronghold change your perspective?
What would it look like practically for God to be your “one thing” this week? What might you need to rearrange in your schedule or priorities?
Have you experienced abandonment or betrayal? How does verse 10 (“my father and my mother have forsaken me, but the LORD will take me in”) speak to your heart and mind?
Write your own declaration of faith based on this psalm. What specific enemies (fears, sins, circumstances) are you choosing not to fear because of who God is?
And of course, it is always good to close a Bible Study session in prayer, so I have taken the liberty to share one of mine with you regarding this Psalm.
Lord, You are my light and my salvation. When fear rises, help me remember who You are. Draw me close to gaze upon Your beauty and seek Your face above all else. Hide me in Your shelter, teach me Your way, and strengthen my heart to wait on You with courage. Even if everyone else forsakes me, I know You will take me in and never leave me or forsake me. I believe and know I will see Your goodness in the land of the living. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
By Jesus’ Grace and Seeking His Face Together,
Pastor Daren
Read more...
Upcoming Events for June
07 – Potluck
09 – CED Meeting 6 pm
11 – Stewardship Meeting 6 pm
14 – Time for Prayer during Fellowship
15 – Men’s Breakfast at FBC @ 8:30 am
19 – Newsletter Deadline
21 – Father’s Day
28 – Medical Missions during fellowship
28 – Safety Meeting during fellowship
Read more...
Spiritual Ministry Letter by Ann Krause
had a couple “hardest things ever” and I can say without my faith, my family and Christ’s reassuring love, I would not
have been able to say, “Thank You, Lord, for Your provision and strength to forge through this”. Other times, our
minds wander and our attitudes crumble, we waiver and ignore, and if our mother’s were around a “good spanking to
reset our attitudes” may be in order.
the physical strength to provide assistance/labor to complete a chore or our ability to do for someone before they ask
because we know asking is hard for them.
need, words to reassure/identify issues – “through Christ” category; prayers, committed service, physical assistance –
“strengthens me” category.
my will and my efforts to be You to others.
I can do all things through
CHRIST
Who strengthens me. AMEN
Phillipians 4:13
Read more...
Pastor’s Pen
you this month. I have went back to these each day since the Lord put them in my heart to share. I have adapted them
to fit what I believe the Lord wants to bring to each of us here at Foundations Bible Church….
us onward and forward in Christ Jesus. The Bible, God’s Word, tells us three key lessons and encouragements.
the rough places shale become level ways – a plain.” (Isaiah 40:4, Luke 3:5)
in the lead He guides us through up and over them, down and through them. In fact, He knows exactly which mountains
and valleys He wants us to face. And everyone who is willing to go on the journey with Jesus, in the end, when it is all
said and done – we are all the better for each and every obstacle, step, and moments of rest in the meadows and pinnacles of life. He is the steady and narrow way (the leveling line) bringing the mountains low and raising the valleys high for us to tread upon. There will be more mountains and more valleys ahead – so, let the LORD lead, level, and steady us in everything we do and face, despite the terrain and circumstances.
he will make your paths straight.” (Proverbs 3:5-6)
or perceptions and opinions; however, if the LORD is not sought, even for our ponderings or plans, then one could be
wrong in the expectations of what has happened in the past as we experienced them. Also note that when we leave the
LORD “out of the equation” crooked paths are the result. It is like taking advice from someone based solely on their experience and presuppositions without ever looking to what the LORD intended or intends. I mean – He created everything, knows everything, knows the hearts of men – why would anyone not seek Him and His ways to show us the way we should go? What ends up happening is we become wise in our own eyes (the perspective of a fool, as Proverbs says) when we do not acknowledge the LORD in all our ways…. Note it does not say some, or a few, or many – it says ALL our ways.
whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for
salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and
training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16)
written “In the beginning was the Word, the Word was with God and the Word was God” …. Jesus is the Living Word.
You may have noticed that right in the middle of the about passage that ALL of Scripture is God breathed. Again, not
some, not most, not just the parts we like, not just the positive…. ALL of it – from Genesis to Revelation! In the book of
Hebrews, we are taught that milk is for the infant and meat or solid food is for the mature. And just like in life – children
drink only milk for a short time, and usually within a year to two years, they are eating whole, solid foods. As they move
from childhood to pre-adolescence, through adolescence into young adulthood, and finally become mature adults, milk
is not enough to give the full nutrition one needs. It is the same, spiritually speaking, when it comes to the Word of
God, of which Jesus said, “man does not live by bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” It
is then obvious and necessary, that as everyone grows, one must move from just milk to milk and meat, figuratively
speaking. So more than just the elementary teachings of Christ, believers are to go on to maturity. (see Hebrews 6:1-3)
Sure, you start with the basics, but no one is intended to remain in just that basics. Sure, it is more difficult to digest,
sure it raises questions – but it grows us, it matures us, and isn’t that what Christ wants for all of us? And if one thinks
about Jesus being the Word, the Living Word – the Bible is clear, that all Scripture is God breathed… when we don’t dig
deeper, just drink the milk and not eat the meat of the Word, then part of Jesus and His Word is left out, left behind….
And we want all of Jesus. Therefore, it is imperative that all the Bible verses and all the Bible’s teachings are sought and
taught. This is the way to move from milk to meat, to move past infancy to maturity.
Read more...
Upcoming Events for May
May 10- Time For Prayer
May 10- Mother’s Day
May 12- CED Team Meeting 6 pm
May 14- Stewardship Team Meeting 6pm
May 16- Men’s Breakfast @ FBC 8:30am
May 17- FBC Women’s Group during fellowship
May 28- Deadline for church newsletter
Read more...
Pastor’s Pen
On occasion, there are just some devotionals that hit home for you, you know…. I have had in my possession ‘Morning
and evening’ for years. It is a devotional collection put together by Charles Spurgeon. I thought I would share one with
you this month. This is the one that I opened to recently and it just grabbed my attention. I hope it grabs yours to!
Morning
“On him they laid the cross, that he might bear it after Jesus.” — Luk_23:26
We see in Simon’s carrying the cross a picture of the work of the Church throughout all generations; she is the crossbearer after Jesus. Mark then, Christian, Jesus does not suffer so as to exclude your suffering. He bears a cross, not
that you may escape it, but that you may endure it. Christ exempts you from sin, but not from sorrow. Remember
that, and expect to suffer.
But let us comfort ourselves with this thought, that in our case, as in Simon’s, it is not our cross, but Christ’s cross
which we carry. When you are molested for your piety; when your religion brings the trial of cruel mockings upon you,
then remember it is not your cross, it is Christ’s cross; and how delightful is it to carry the cross of our Lord Jesus!
You carry the cross after him. You have blessed company; your path is marked with the footprints of your Lord. The
mark of his blood-red shoulder is upon that heavy burden. ‘Tis his cross, and he goes before you as a shepherd goes
before his sheep. Take up your cross daily, and follow him.
Do not forget, also, that you bear this cross in partnership. It is the opinion of some that Simon only carried one end of
the cross, and not the whole of it. That is very possible; Christ may have carried the heavier part, against the transverse beam, and Simon may have borne the lighter end. Certainly it is so with you; you do but carry the light end of
the cross, Christ bore the heavier end.
And remember, though Simon had to bear the cross for a very little while, it gave him lasting honour. Even so the cross
we carry is only for a little while at most, and then we shall receive the crown, the glory. Surely we should love the
cross, and, instead of shrinking from it, count it very dear, when it works out for us “a far more exceeding and eternal
weight of glory.”
Evening
“Before honour is humility.” — Pro_15:33
Humiliation of soul always brings a positive blessing with it. If we empty our hearts of self God will fill them with his
love. He who desires close communion with Christ should remember the word of the Lord, “To this man will I look,
even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word.” Stoop if you would climb to heaven. Do
we not say of Jesus, “He descended that he might ascend?” so must you. You must grow downwards, that you may
grow upwards; for the sweetest fellowship with heaven is to be had by humble souls, and by them alone. God will deny no blessing to a thoroughly humbled spirit.
“Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven,” with all its riches and treasures. The whole exchequer of God shall be made over by deed of gift to the soul which is humble enough to be able to receive it without
growing proud because of it. God blesses us all up to the full measure and extremity of what it is safe for him to do. If
you do not get a blessing, it is because it is not safe for you to have one. If our heavenly Father were to let your unhumbled spirit win a victory in his holy war, you would pilfer the crown for yourself, and meeting with a fresh enemy
you would fall a victim; so that you are kept low for your own safety.
When a man is sincerely humble, and never ventures to touch so much as a grain of the praise, there is scarcely any
limit to what God will do for him. Humility makes us ready to be blessed by the God of all grace, and fits us to deal efficiently with our fellow men. True humility is a flower which will adorn any garden. This is a sauce with which you may
season every dish of life, and you will find an improvement in every case.
Whether it be prayer or praise, whether it be work or suffering, the genuine salt of humility cannot be used in excess.
By Jesus’ Grace,
Read more...
The Gates of Hell By Mike Jenkins, Spiritual Ministry Team Member
Amen
Read more...
April Upcoming Events
7th – Spiritual Ministry Meeting 6 pm
9th – Stewardship Meeting 6 pm
12th- Time for Prayer during fellowship
14th- CED Meeting 6 pm
16th- Women’s Bible Study 6 pm
18th- Men’s Breakfast @ FBC 8:30 am
19th- FBC Women’s Meeting during
fellowship
23rd- Deadline for Newsletter
26th- Medical Missions during fellowship
30th – Women’s Bible Study 6 pm
Read more...
Pastor’s Pen
true that a growing pastor means a growing church, and the inverse is likewise true – a stagnant pastor means a
stagnant congregation. And, as you know, really, there is no such thing as a stagnation without inevitable dead and
defiled water…. Christians are to be overflowing springs of the Living Water, pouring out Jesus all over the place.
is from R.C. Ryle:
both undergone unprecedented challenge and change. It seems that everything that can be shaken is being shaken,
and ultimately only those things that are unshakable will remain. O to us may grace be given to stand in the unshakable Kingdom.
the threat of difficult things, or held captive by the hollow hope of nostalgic things — not all who started out on this
trek have made it this far. We look around and they are gone. “Demas hath forsaken me,” wrote the apostle Paul,
“having loved this present world” (2 Tim.4:10).
been transported to the City, whose builder and maker is God; and we rejoice with them as we hope for heaven
ourselves. And our hope is not in vain, nor will our longings be left unrewarded. For we are neither lethargic nor
nostalgic; we are full of life and filled with dreams.
trusts in the unfailing love of the Faithful God who alone has brought us safe thus far; and who alone will carry us
all the way to our Hope of Glory.
a way in the wilderness. He was with Moses as a young man throughout the wilderness wanderings, all the while
being groomed by God for his future assignment. Perhaps even now the Lord is grooming you for some future mission.
alone, with Caleb, argued the case for Faith when all others caved in to doubt, fear, and unbelief. And it was Joshua, the man of faith, whom God anointed to lead the children of Israel into Canaan to experience the fulfillment of
promises made by the Faithful God, and to finish the business at hand of reclaiming the Land from those who had
been stolen by the powers of darkness.
love and redeemed us unto Himself out of the fallen and faulted world system, wherein we were held captive under the heavy hand of task-masters who drove us with whip and stick in the lustful pursuit of power, sex, and money. Our lives were marred by corruption, stained with shame, and marked for death. But God, who is rich in mercy
and unfailing in His faithfulness, redeemed us!
inward that we might go upward. The challenges are not over, nor are the changes complete, but
our hearts are lifted with a sense of imminent breakthroughs; things oft dreamed about, and long
-awaited, seem to be so very close at hand. The smell of rain is in the air. Come, friend, take heart
and renew your trust in the Faithful God. For it will be said of us as it was of our predecessors —
“They did eat of the fruit of the land of Canaan that year” (Jos.5:12).
honey — the Faithful God has ever been there for us, as He was with them.
Read more...
Spiritual Ministry Letter By Sharon Fowler, Spiritual Ministry Team Member
knows what’s happening behind every closed door, in every governmental agency and in the hearts of every head of
state.
a shade of difference between the two. They both share a common element, deviating from the truth. Social media
has allowed every individual to have a voice and discerning what is and isn’t true has become challenging.” (Dr. David
Jeremiah)
searches?
“And that’s the way it is.” Meaning he had just presented to you the factual news that represented the day’s events.
Today the newscaster would have to sign off with, “And that’s the way we see it.” or “And that’s the way we want
you to see it.”
world – moral, political, cultural, economic – shape how we view God and His Word? Or should we let God and His
Word shape how we view events that happen in the world? Does the world shape our worldview or does the Word
shape our view of the world? We should be aware of the headlines, but only God and His Word should shape our
prospective and set our attitude.
Read more...