What does Psalm 27:13 mean?

This psalm began with David expressing deep confidence in God. Later, however, David also opened his heart by pleading with God for rescue—the very thing he was so sure of. This is a normal part of human experience: what we know, in our minds, often has a difficult time resonating in our fears and emotions. Faith, in Scripture, is trust based on what we know of God, in the face of uncertainty (Hebrews 11:1). In the midst of danger, therefore, David took his worries to God, and trusted that the Lord would be victorious.

The conclusion of David's prayer is a celebration of the Lord's goodness. In addition to seeing rescue first-hand, David later was given promises from God to have rest and a lasting heritage (1 Samuel 16:13; 2 Samuel 7:11), therefore David anticipated a bright future.

God's promises to believers are described in 2 Peter 1:4 as "precious and very great." Hebrews 10:23 admonishes: "Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful." The Lord will never break even one promise; therefore, like David, we can rely on God to keep His promises no matter how bleak our circumstances may be. Also, like David, we can anticipate a bright future, because Jesus promised to return and take us home to be with Him (John 14:1–3).