Britney Vokish, senior M.Div. student at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary

Scripture

Psalm 27

1 The LORD is my light and my salvation;
 whom shall I fear?
 The LORD is the stronghold of my life;
 of whom shall I be afraid?

2 When evildoers assail me
 to devour my flesh —
 my adversaries and foes —
 they shall stumble and fall.

3 Though an army encamp against me,
 my heart shall not fear;
 though war rise up against me,
 yet I will be confident.

4 One thing I asked of the LORD,
 that will I seek after:
 to live in the house of the LORD
 all the days of my life,
 to behold the beauty of the LORD,
 and to inquire in his temple.

5 For he will hide me in his shelter
 in the day of trouble;
 he will conceal me under the cover of his tent;
 he will set me high on a rock.

6 Now my head is lifted up
 above my enemies all around me,
 and I will offer in his tent
 sacrifices with shouts of joy;
 I will sing and make melody to the LORD.

7 Hear, O LORD, when I cry aloud,
 be gracious to me and answer me!

8 “Come,” my heart says, “seek his face!”
 Your face, LORD, do I seek.
9 Do not hide your face from me.

 Do not turn your servant away in anger,
 you who have been my help.
 Do not cast me off, do not forsake me,
 O God of my salvation!
10 If my father and mother forsake me,
 the LORD will take me up.

11 Teach me your way, O LORD,
 and lead me on a level path
 because of my enemies.
12 Do not give me up to the will of my adversaries,
 for false witnesses have risen against me,
 and they are breathing out violence.

13 I believe that I shall 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;
 wait for the LORD!

Devotional

The Lord is righteous, merciful, strong, and a very present help in time of trouble. So, why do we still fear?

Fear is a very real thing to all of us. For some of us those fears are small—public speaking or spiders, for example. For others, fear consumes our whole day—a health concern that became a very real and debilitating disease, or the fear of losing a child too soon because of an addiction he or she cannot overcome. But the Psalmist in Psalm 27 reminds us that fear is only the result of not putting our full trust in the One who created everything. We fear when we put our faith solely in ourselves. We are reminded that the Lord is in control. In this sometimes uncertain, violent, and anxious world, still be confident in this: The Lord who created you and calls you has already made a pathway to salvation for you.

Fully trusting is hard to do, so sometime today, as you are praying, write down all of your fears and speak them to the Lord.

Prayer

Merciful God, you are my light and my salvation. You are the stronghold of my life. So I come before you now and lift up to you every fear and anxiety I have. I need your help. Trouble surrounds me, but I am confident in you, God, because you have given your Son to us as a hope and a sign of our salvation. Amen.

Britney Vokish, senior M.Div. student at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary

Scripture

Psalm 27

1 The LORD is my light and my salvation;
 whom shall I fear?
 The LORD is the stronghold of my life;
 of whom shall I be afraid?

2 When evildoers assail me
 to devour my flesh —
 my adversaries and foes —
 they shall stumble and fall.

3 Though an army encamp against me,
 my heart shall not fear;
 though war rise up against me,
 yet I will be confident.

4 One thing I asked of the LORD,
 that will I seek after:
 to live in the house of the LORD
 all the days of my life,
 to behold the beauty of the LORD,
 and to inquire in his temple.

5 For he will hide me in his shelter
 in the day of trouble;
 he will conceal me under the cover of his tent;
 he will set me high on a rock.

6 Now my head is lifted up
 above my enemies all around me,
 and I will offer in his tent
 sacrifices with shouts of joy;
 I will sing and make melody to the LORD.

7 Hear, O LORD, when I cry aloud,
 be gracious to me and answer me!

8 “Come,” my heart says, “seek his face!”
 Your face, LORD, do I seek.
9 Do not hide your face from me.

 Do not turn your servant away in anger,
 you who have been my help.
 Do not cast me off, do not forsake me,
 O God of my salvation!
10 If my father and mother forsake me,
 the LORD will take me up.

11 Teach me your way, O LORD,
 and lead me on a level path
 because of my enemies.
12 Do not give me up to the will of my adversaries,
 for false witnesses have risen against me,
 and they are breathing out violence.

13 I believe that I shall 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;
 wait for the LORD!

Devotional

The Lord is righteous, merciful, strong, and a very present help in time of trouble. So, why do we still fear?

Fear is a very real thing to all of us. For some of us those fears are small—public speaking or spiders, for example. For others, fear consumes our whole day—a health concern that became a very real and debilitating disease, or the fear of losing a child too soon because of an addiction he or she cannot overcome. But the Psalmist in Psalm 27 reminds us that fear is only the result of not putting our full trust in the One who created everything. We fear when we put our faith solely in ourselves. We are reminded that the Lord is in control. In this sometimes uncertain, violent, and anxious world, still be confident in this: The Lord who created you and calls you has already made a pathway to salvation for you.

Fully trusting is hard to do, so sometime today, as you are praying, write down all of your fears and speak them to the Lord.

Prayer

Merciful God, you are my light and my salvation. You are the stronghold of my life. So I come before you now and lift up to you every fear and anxiety I have. I need your help. Trouble surrounds me, but I am confident in you, God, because you have given your Son to us as a hope and a sign of our salvation. Amen.