The First Gospel - Psalm 27: One Thing | Josh Harrison
In this week’s message from Citizens Church of Orange County, Pastor Josh Harrison takes us into the heart of Psalm 27 as part of the “First Gospel” series—a journey that traces the goodness of God throughout the Old Testament. This psalm, one of King David’s most memorable, becomes a powerful window into a life with God marked by confidence, anxiety, worship, and unwavering pursuit. Here’s a summary of the sermon and some key takeaways for our spiritual journey.
The Thread of Good News in the Old Testament
To begin, Josh reminds us that the story of God’s good news didn’t start with Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John, but back in Genesis 1. Tracking God’s restoration throughout scripture, he emphasizes there are not two stories or two gods—just one God committed to the restoration of goodness.
In recent weeks, the series has paused on King David, the “man after God’s own heart,” and his collection of Psalms. These are not just ancient poetry; they reflect the full range of human experience before God.
Three Types of Psalms: Orientation, Disorientation, and Reorientation
Drawing from scholar Walter Brueggemann, Josh outlines three categories of psalms:
Orientation: Times when God’s presence and goodness are clear, and worship is easy (like Psalm 8).
Disorientation: Seasons of confusion, suffering, or darkness (Psalm 88’s closing words: “Darkness is my closest friend”).
Reorientation: The journey back to clarity and praise, deeper because it comes after struggle (Psalm 18).
What makes Psalm 27 unique, Josh points out, is that it contains all three: confident worship, a plunge into anxiety, and a new-found hope.
Psalm 27: Confidence and Anxiety Side by Side
The psalm opens with David at his boldest: “The Lord is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear?” This is what Josh calls “Sunday morning” confidence, when faith feels easy and God feels near.
Yet, halfway through the psalm, everything shifts. Suddenly, David is crying out, desperate not to be abandoned: “Hear my voice when I call, Lord; be merciful to me and answer me.” This is “Monday morning”—when fear creeps in, life gets messy, and even the strongest faith feels shaken.
Rather than seeing this as sloppy editing or two different authors, Josh sees this as the honest reality of spiritual life. Both clarity and confusion can exist within us, sometimes at the same time.
The One Thing: Seeking God Above All
At the center of Psalm 27, David declares his single desire: “One thing I ask from the Lord…that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple.”
Josh unpacks this: true worship means both gazing at God’s beauty (awe) and seeking His face (action)—what James in the New Testament calls “faith and works.” Loving God isn’t just emotional experience; it’s also commitment and obedience, even when God feels distant.
When David’s enemies surround him or his own anxieties overwhelm him, he insists on returning to the “one thing”—God’s presence. True idols, Josh warns, are anything we treat as ultimate: when (not if) they fail, anxiety rushes in.
Living the Sunday Truth on Monday
The real test, Josh shares, is Monday: applying Sunday’s confidence on the days that feel heavy and fraught. Even when God feels absent, David insists on worship, honesty, and seeking after God.
Quoting C.S. Lewis’s “The Screwtape Letters,” Josh argues that real spiritual maturity happens not on the mountaintops, but in the valleys—when we choose God without emotional payback, simply because we trust Him.
Psalm 27 ends with new hope: “Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.” No matter where we find ourselves today—joyful, anxious, or somewhere in between—this is God’s invitation.
4 Key Lessons from This Sermon
God’s Story Is a Story of Goodness from the Beginning
The gospel isn’t new with Jesus; it’s woven throughout the whole Bible. God’s heart is to restore goodness, and every part of scripture tells this story.Honest Prayers Include Both Praise and Pain
Psalm 27 holds both bold faith and deep anxiety. God welcomes our full selves—confidence, confusion, and all. We don’t need to hide our struggles from Him.True Worship Combines Awe and Action
It’s not enough to be moved by God or to do things for Him. Real relationship means gazing at His beauty (inspiration) and seeking His face (obedience and pursuit).Spiritual Maturity Is Proven in the Valleys
The deepest faith isn’t just felt when God seems near, but when we trust, pursue, and obey Him even in dryness—“Monday morning”—knowing that He will not fail us.
Let Psalm 27 inspire you to make God your “one thing,” wherever you are on your journey today, and take heart in the promise that you will “see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.”
