Psalm 27:13-14 is about holding on to confidence that God is good while you are still living in a hard situation. The passage ends with a call to wait for the LORD, to be strong, and to let your heart take courage, rather than giving up.
David wrote this psalm while surrounded by enemies and false witnesses, and the verses sit in the middle of a prayer for protection and guidance. They reflect a man who is not yet delivered but who has decided where he will place his hope.
13 I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. 14 Wait for the LORD. Be strong, and let your heart take courage. Yes, wait for the LORD.
Psalm 27:13-14 (WEB)
Psalm 27:13-14 Summary
The passage moves from a statement of personal certainty to a command. David first says he is still confident that he will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. That confidence is not based on his circumstances, which are threatening, but on what he expects God to do within his own lifetime.
Then he turns to his reader and gives three short instructions: wait for the LORD, be strong, and let your heart take courage. He closes by repeating the call to wait, as if to make sure the point lands. The movement is from what David believes, to how he chooses to live out that belief.
Context of Psalm 27:13-14
Psalm 27 is attributed to David and belongs to the book of Psalms, the Hebrew songbook that the Jewish people and Christians both read as Scripture. Its tone shifts across the psalm: it opens with bold trust, moves through a plea for God’s presence, and ends with a sober appeal to hope. Verses 10 through 12 describe abandonment, a request for teaching, and the threat of hostile witnesses, which is the pressure that makes verses 13 and 14 stand out.
The audience is anyone who prays in the midst of danger, whether in David’s own time or later. Because the surrounding verses are so raw, the confidence in verse 13 reads less like a calm feeling and more like a deliberate choice made in the middle of fear.
Psalm 27:13-14 Verse by Verse
Isaiah 40:31
But those who wait for the LORD will renew their strength. They will mount up with wings like eagles. They will run, and not be weary. They will walk, and not faint.
(WEB)
This verse links waiting on the LORD with renewed strength, echoing the courage that Psalm 27:14 calls for. It shows that waiting is not wasted time but a setting where God gives new energy.
Lamentations 3:25
The LORD is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him.
(WEB)
Written in a book of grief, this verse affirms that God is good to those who wait for him. It pairs naturally with David’s confidence in God’s goodness and shows the same posture of patient hope.
A Prayer Based on Psalm 27:13-14
Lord, I confess that I often want to see answers before I am willing to trust you. Help me hold on to the confidence that you are good, and let me look for your kindness in the ordinary days of my life. When fear rises, teach me to wait for you without rushing ahead of your timing. Strengthen my heart and give me courage to take the next faithful step today. I trust that you hear me, and I rest in your faithfulness. Amen.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does “wait for the LORD” mean in Psalm 27:14?
It means to keep your attention on God and trust his timing rather than acting out of panic. Waiting in this sense is active, involving prayer, patience and obedience while you hope for his help.
Is David saying he will see God’s goodness only after he dies?
No, the phrase “in the land of the living” points to God’s goodness being experienced during this life. David expects to witness God’s faithful care while he is still on earth.
How can I be strong when I feel afraid?
Psalm 27:14 links strength with a courageous heart that rests on God rather than on your own resources. Strength often grows through small acts of trust, such as praying, reading Scripture and taking one step forward each day.
