“Surely I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord In the land of the living.”- {Psalm 27:13}
“SURELY I WOULD HAVE”-
The certainty, the Psalmist is convinced. He needs no persuasion. It, to him is a factual. It is to the spiritual realm what gravity is in the natural!
“DESPAIRED.” “Fainted’ …
“UNLESS”-
Here is the Glorious “But God…” of this verse that reverses and keeps the soul from plunging down, deep down into the dregs and bondage of mental and emotional despair where the “black dog ” of depression sets in like the mist of an early morning foggy dew and settles with heavyness and saps the joy and replaces with dark and disturbing hopelessness upon the soul. It is The Glorious realization from the psalmist as certainty as left to himself he would sink down into despair, is the HOPE and the REALIZATION this need not be his end and would not be his end… for GOD had provided His alternative, His way of escape…. the Glorious “UNLESS” is for us all and it is the attitude of faith…-
“I HAD BELIEVED”–
Note the Psalmist must participate . It is not “let go and let God”…it is an attitude and action of personal participation and responsibility… “I”… he is an active participant. For Faith turns “The HINGE THAT TURNS THE DOOR”…. while the pressures of life and the varying circumstances, situations, relationships, would seek to have you and I lean to our own understanding, which means to exclude Him or keep Him on the peripheral while we try and figure it out by ourselves is ultimately to invite “despair,” the Psalmist raises the Glorious DEFIANCE OF FAITH WITH THE WORDS “UNLESS I HAD BELIEVED”. His faith is focused. His believing is central and the Object of His triumph is….
“TO SEE…” –
“The construction of the Heb. verb implies the sense, to see and enjoy.” –{Cambridge Bible for schools and colleges”}.
God is no kill joy but as this word implies HE Wants you to receive and experience enjoyment, and this as the verb implies is to be a continuous source!… To SEE and ENJOY…His anticipation and expectation is firmly rooted in what, no, whom He believes in, the LORD. Do You see God as a killjoy, the more miserable you are the more in line with what He wants for you? No, God is the source of Joy and He wants you to look by faith and ENJOY… Him, His Promises…in this passage…to see and ENJOY…what?
“THE GOODNESS OF THE LORD”–
In the garden, the first temptation was really an attack on the character of God that He was not good, by not allowing them to take from one tree. The serpent did not point out how GOOD God was by allowing them to take from every other tree, he focused in on the one thing they did not have, implying God was not good!! The evil one often throws such thoughts of evil to us, seeking to plant an accusation against the character of God…seeking to slander Him to us…he would seek to implant a thought…to have us think on what we do not have, that somehow God is holding out on us and the implication He is not good. The onslaught which often begins with a subtle wicked, evil thought of “look what you do not have,” seeking to create discontentment, and it is then we must chastise ourselves and speak to ourselves and remind ourselves of all we do have in Christ. Who we have, where we are going, and even as the Psalmist, it is not merely the future but considering the GOODNESS of the Lord to us now and Believing by faith that He who has been GOOD to us for it is the “goodness of the LORD that leads to repentance… every GOOD and perfect gift comes from above… if we been evil know how to give GOOD gifts to our children HOW MUCH More our Heavenly Father… there is none Good but God….GOD IS GOOD… He is LORD, Sovereign King, Unchanging in His being, His very essence is Goodness. And the Psalmist speaks to himself and us, that he has realized, “UNLESS…” and had placed his faith not in himself but “I HAD BELIEVED TO SEE THE GOODNESS OF THE LORD…”
But where?
“IN THE LAND OF THE LIVING.”–
Yes he believed he would “SEE” The Goodness of the Sovereign KING…IN THE LAND OF THE LIVING…His expectation was placed solely in the LORD. His confidence firmly planted in the PERSON of the LORD. There was no plan”B”only confidence, reliance, trust in the LORD and in particular His GOODNESS… and that he would continually “see” and ENJOY” it manifested and for him as for you and me this is the “HINGE” THAT TURNS THE DOOR” from one of been closed and locked in despair to one of hope and consideration of the LORD AND IN PARTICULAR OF HIS GOODNESS being manifested and this is what caused him” to BELIEVE TO SEE.”
NOTE; BELIEF COMES BEFORE SIGHT…
In the natural realm we want to “see” first then “believe,” as Thomas, but as Jesus said regarding the resurrection of Lazarus to his sisters,”Did I not say if you would only BELIEVE then you would SEE,” In God’s kingdom faith comes before sight… Believe to See…it is not faith in faith but in a PERSON and in HIS GOODNESS…So when the temptation to despair comes, know the door to despair need not be shut, you have the indwelling Spirit of God to aid you, the Word of God to guide you, the Power of God to CHOOSE… DESPAIR OR THE LORD AND HIS GOODNESS… and it HINGES on this word of HOPE…”UNLESS….” Despair is the destination “UNLESS” we choose to BELIEVE the LORD and He is good and will show forth His goodness again to us in the land of the living. It is an attitude of active reliance and the evidence is a heart, a mind resting in His character and consideration of His goodness in times past to be as “fuel ” for our faith as we focus on THE LORD, Who He is as revealed in the Scriptures and see how He has manifested His goodness to the characters in the Word and then personally how we have been specific recipients of His goodness to us… GOD IS GOOD. AND WORKS ALL THINGS TOGETHER FOR THE GOOD OF THOSE WHO LOVE HIM AND ARE THE CALLED… This ultimate goodness is to conform us to the image of His dear Son -{Rom 8;28-29} .
Consider the HINGE THAT TURNS THE DOOR today from despair to hope is, FAITH IN THE GOODNESS… OF THE LORD!
Hope this encourages you to THINK and count your many blessings, and His GOODNESS to you…and the future Goodness He will manifest for this is His nature and Him acting as He is- GOOD! TRUST THE LORD WHO IS…GOOD! And as the Psalmist, TELL Others of the LORD who is Good
NOTE- The Psalmist Believed in THE LORD… HIS GOODNESS… HIS PROMISE… of GOODNESS….God’s Promises… HIS PROMISES ARE…TRUE…”–“For as many as may be the PROMISES OF GOD, in Him are YES; wherefore also by HIM is our amen to the Glory of God”- {2 Cor 1:2}
THE ALTERNATIVE TO DESPAIR? To believe, rely upon the Lord and HIS PROMISES…. THINK on Him, His goodness and feed your soul on Truth and allow The Holy Spirit to have truth within you to recall and strengthen you with the PROMISES OF GOD to you and also to be a HELP to others who may be sinking into despair.
You never read or memorize just for yourself BUT that you may be of spiritual and practical assistance to others….
IN this Verse There is Hope for you and me There is a PROMISE
“Surely I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord In the land of the living.”-{Ps 27:13}