The Word of God not only reveals who God is; it also reveals who we are, in all our sin and need. The lofty call of Scripture is worthy of all pursuit, yet frustratingly beyond our reach in light of our weakness and inadequacy.

We can trust God, no matter how dire the circumstance. For in the gospel the direst of circumstances—our deserved condemnation and an eternity in hell—have already been emptied of their threat and power.

Whatever unfolds in this life, David knows that one day he will be at rest in the presence of the Lord.

The ringing note on which the psalm ends has been deeply calming encouragement to saints down through the ages. “In your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore”. Nothing else is needed.

To dwell on God’s holy mountain means to pass into and abide in the temple. But Jesus did not come simply to the temple; he came as the temple.

Sin is universal. No one is exempt. But grace is universally available. No one need be exempt. All that is required is a trusting faith in Jesus Christ.

If David can bank everything on God, even when on the brink of despair, how much more can we today?

God delights to rescue us in our need. How do we know this? Because in Christ he’s already achieved the greatest deliverance and accomplished our greatest safety—deliverance from hell and condemnation, safety from Satan and eternal death.

What does it mean that believers will see the face of God? It means we will become ourselves, finally. It means dawn will rise on the dark gray of this fallen world. It means final rest will be ours. It means we will be with the One of whom even the best earthly friendships are only a faint glimpse and to whom the most sublime earthly joys are finally pointing.

God sent his own Son, the one man who was ever truly just, to go to a cross and swallow all of the injustice of all of those who would simply trust in him.

God is never caught by surprise amid global upheaval and strife. He is never perplexed or left groping for solutions. He reigns. And one day, all that is done in this stormy world will be brought into the light and into judgment.

David brings us to praise God for the remarkable care he has entrusted to us. He is the God of the heavens, having placed the stars in their orbits, and yet he has entrusted to humanity the care of the earth.

David is not putting on blinders to his own sinfulness; rather, he is asking for truth and objective honesty to be pursued.

When we are brought into the dark valleys of life as we journey through this fallen world, we have, and we need, one thing: God. And we can know that we have the Lord with us, moment by moment, because he sent his own Son to walk through this world’s sorrows.

Content to leave the punishment of all evil in God’s hands, David directs his heart elsewhere. He does not let thoughts of evildoers fester in his mind but finally rests in God, his refuge.

In the darkness of this moment, David makes up his mind: he will trust in the Lord. The result? A greater joy than any material prosperity could ever provide; a peace that supplies contented sleep.

What strengthens David is not strength mustered up from within. What stabilizes him is not self-generated optimism. David knows that earthly help is worthless when the tidal waves of life threaten to overwhelm and drown us. Instead he looks to God.

Believers today are the heirs of this psalm, and its promises come to rest on the worldwide church and its faith in the true and final Davidic heir, Jesus.

Beneath the never-ending list of “to do’s” clamoring for our attention lies the fundamental choice to receive instruction and influence either from God or from fools. Will we listen to the voice of life or to the voices of death?

In a special bonus episode, Crossway presents an audio preview of Dane Ortlund's new book Deeper: Real Change for Real Sinners.

Join pastor and best-selling author Dane Ortlund Monday through Friday each week on a journey through all 150 psalms in the Bible.