Psalm 27:1 (NRSV)
Read Psalm 27:1 on biblegateway.com
Verse 1The 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?
Devotion
Every Saturday night, my father polished our shoes for Sunday worship. In our junior choir robes, all you could see was the shoes. But they sparkled. Sunday seemed to demand polish. Our everyday messiness was stashed away. The psalmist overturns these Sunday rituals of childhood. He shows up for prayer dirty, messy and terrified. He boldly asks, “Whom shall I fear?” but inwardly he’s quaking. He names his fears in numbing particularity: adversaries and foes, false witnesses and entire armies. He calls on God with equal particularity: ”Be my rock and shelter, the stronghold of my life.” God invites us into prayer, dirty and scuffed. Everyday dress is just fine.
Prayer
Sheltering God, you heard the cry of the widow, the orphan, the stranger in the land. Hear our cry. Here’s what we’re afraid of (name those fears), and here’s what we’re worried about (name those worries). And here’s who we need you to be (name what you need now). We know you will be with us and lift us up. Amen.