Sunday, 2 August 2026

The Lord Is My Light

1The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
Psalms 27:1 (KJV)

The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? David asks the question rhetorically, then spends the psalm giving reasons why fear keeps knocking anyway — armies encamping, enemies, false witnesses, even the possibility that his father and mother might forsake him.

So this is not a psalm by someone who has stopped being afraid. It is a psalm by someone conducting an argument with his own fear, out loud, using what he knows about God as the counterweight.

The middle of it contains a request that is easy to skim past. Of all the things he could ask for while under threat — victory, safety, vindication — he asks for one thing: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord. Under siege, his desire is not primarily rescue. It is nearness.

Then the last two verses turn and speak to himself: Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord. He repeats the instruction because once was not enough, even for the man who wrote it.

That may be the most useful thing here. Faith often looks less like calm and more like telling yourself the truth a second time.

Read the fuller passage — Psalms 27

Reflect

What are you asking God for right now — and would you still want Him if He gave you nothing but Himself?

Prayer

Lord, You are my light and my salvation. I am still afraid, and I am bringing the fear to You rather than pretending. One thing I ask: let me be near You. Strengthen my heart, and help me wait. Amen.

Last reviewed 27 Jul 2026.

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