3. My Trust Is in the Lord (vv. 9-12). From pleading “Hear my prayer” (v. 8), the psalmist then lifted his petitions to the Lord, beginning with a prayer for the king (v. 9). A “shield” is a symbol of both the Lord (3:3; 7:10; 18:2, 30; Gen. 15:1) and Israel’s anointed king (89:18; see 2 Sam. 1:21). But why pray for the king? Because the future of the messianic promise rested with the line of King David (2 Sam. 7), and the psalmist wanted the Messiah to come. Believers today should pray faithfully for those in authority (1 Tim. 2:1-4).

When you walk by faith, you put the Lord and His will first, and you keep your priorities straight (v. 10). This is the Old Testament version of Matthew 6:33 and Philippians 1:21. According to the inscription, this psalm is associated with “the Sons of Korah,” who were Levites assigned to guard the threshold of the sanctuary (1 Chron. 9:19), an important and honorable office. Their ancestor rebelled against God and Moses and was slain by the Lord (Num. 16; note “tents of wickedness” in 84:10; Num. 16:26). Korah’s children were not killed because of their father’s sins (Num. 26:11) but continued to serve at the sanctuary. The psalmist didn’t aspire to a high office (“gatekeeper” in 1 Chron. 9:19 is not the same word as “doorkeeper” in 84:10) but was willing to “sit at the threshold” of the temple, just to be close to the Lord.

To men and women of faith, the Lord is all they need. He is to them what the sun is to our universe–the source of life and light (27:1; Isa. 10:17; 60:19-20; Mal. 4:2). Without the sun, life would vanish from the earth, and without God, we would have neither physical life (Acts 17:24-28) nor spiritual life (John 1:1-14). God is our provision and our protection (“shield”; see references at vv. 8-9). He is the giving God, and He gives grace and glory–grace for the journey and glory at the end of the journey (see Rom. 5:1-2; 1 Peter 5:10). If we walk by faith, then whatever begins with grace will ultimately end with glory. God does not give us everything we want, but He bestows upon us all that is good for us, all that we need. (See 1:1-3.)

Although times of solitude and spiritual retreat can be very beneficial to us spiritually, believers today have constant open access into the presence of God because of the shed blood of Jesus Christ and His constant intercession for us in heaven (Heb. 7:25; 10:19-25). Do we delight in the Lord and seek Him? Do we depend on His strength? Do we walk and work by faith? Are we among those who walk uprightly (v. 11)?