Devotion 9.20.23

Psalm 27 The Lord is My Light and My Salvation

A Psalm of David

7 Hear my voice when I call, Lord;

    be merciful to me and answer me.

8 My heart says of you, “Seek his face!”

    Your face, Lord, I will seek.

9 Do not hide your face from me,

    do not turn your servant away in anger;

    you have been my helper.

Do not reject me or forsake me,

    God my Savior.

10 Though my father and mother forsake me,

    the Lord will receive me.

11 Teach me your way, Lord;

    lead me in a straight path

    because of my oppressors

My son and I were watching Colorado the first week of college football. Colorado v TCU specifically were playing. I said to him, "If Colorado wins this, Deion takes all the oxygen from the room next week in the conversation and coverage about Week One." 

Well, Colorado is 3-0 now, and as I'm watching the Chiefs play Sunday, a "60 Minutes" ad comes on and who but "Coach Prime" is going to be a story for the second time in less than a year. He is now THE story in college football and even football in general. His sideline draws the likes of Michael Irvin, Dewayne "The Rock" Johnson, and a host of entertainers from rappers to others.

Sanders has maintained his name during his time as a sports celebrity. From his days at Florida State through today, his name, image and likeness are clearly his asset. Sanders, though, has taken the long route to get to a major D1 university. His online bio reads much like any other coaches, starting at a small Texas high school and winding his way over a span of time to Colorado.

Sanders clearly speaks of faith and the impact that faith had on him. A quote goes around by him seeking something because regardless of having it all, he still had an emptiness. He eventually came to faith to fill that emptiness that celebrity and all its trappings could not. As a result, he chose the route he's on as part of a personal mission to impact the kids he coaches.

David achieved a certain level of greatness for his time - minus tv, radio, papers, the internet, ads, name/image/likeness, carrier pigeons... you get the idea. David is, next to Christ, probably the most recognized name in scripture and is mentioned in both Old and New Testaments.

In spite of his greatness, David consistently put God/Christ at the center of his life as the foundation of his faith. In today's psalm, he reiterates the need for God to hear him as he seeks God from "his heart." As Luther often notes, the Messiah is found in the book of Psalms in each psalm, and in today's, he references God "his savior." 

Like David, we ask God to teach us His ways, the ways of faith in His Son and to turn to Christ in all we do, David asks for God to be led straight in God's righteous ways to be separated from his oppressors. Like Paul in Romans 12, we seek a separate path from the unrighteous, not because it's pleasing to God or out of arrogance to the unbeliever, but because God sent His Son to die for us and deliver us. In all we do, we ask God for His Son and Spirit to enlighten us and guide us.