Written by Rebecca Dix, senior MDiv student, and brought to you by the Metro-Urban Institute 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 my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?”
As I child I was very afraid of spiders. And the dark, because spiders lived in the dark along with the other monsters I was convinced were real, like the Chupacabra. Living in the Midwestern countryside, away from anything remotely close to being considered a city, meant there was a lot of darkness and a lot of spiders.
“The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?”
Now that I am grown up, my fears have grown up, too. I have ceased being afraid of spiders, but I am still terrified to walk home alone at night because of what or who could be lurking in the shadows. I am afraid of being alone. I’m afraid of being silenced. I’m afraid of the pain of watching the ones you love die I’m afraid of being forgotten. I’m afraid of being powerless.
“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?”
Prayer
Eternal God, we give to you our fears, trusting and believing that you are our light and our salvation. In You, we shall not fear. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.