“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!” -Psalm 27:13–14
David concludes the psalm with a personal confession, a credo: “I believe…”
The modern church is often guilty of trying to establish unity with out a clear definition accurately articulated of what we believe about Christ—who he is, what he’s done, and what he expects of us.
That’s one reason there is power in confessing our creeds. Stating aloud what we believe provides a public declaration of our faith. It’s not enough to simply say, I believe. The object of our faith is what unites believers and separates us from those who don’t believe. Publicly declaring what we believe, therefore, clarifies accurately where we stand. It provides a tangible expression of what we believe. By it, we can evaluate both the truthfulness of our proclamation against scripture, but then also a standard for our behavior.
In provides a standard for unity. For example, in the New Testament, the Apostle Paul exhorts the church to glorify God “with one voice,” “standing firm in one spirit,” and “with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel” (Rom. 15:5-6; Phil. 1:27). It therefore benefits us to confess what we believe.
Here David confesses his faith in God’s ability and willingness to save him, not just in a nebulous or metaphysical sense. He believes the Lord, and therefore believes he shall look upon his goodness in the land of the living—while he still lives.
From this confession, he exhorts Israel to be courageous wait patiently for the Lord’s hand to execute salvation.