Psalm 27 (NRSV)
Read Psalm 27 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?
Verse 2When evildoers assail me to devour my flesh- my adversaries and foes- they shall stumble and fall.
Verse 3Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war rise up against me, yet I will be confident.
Verse 4One 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.
Verse 5For 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.
Verse 6Now 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.
Verse 7Hear, O Lord, when I cry aloud, be gracious to me and answer me!
Verse 8"Come," my heart says, "seek his face!" Your face, Lord, do I seek.
Verse 9Do 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!
Verse 10If my father and mother forsake me, the Lord will take me up.
Verse 11Teach me your way, O Lord, and lead me on a level path because of my enemies.
Verse 12Do not give me up to the will of my adversaries, for false witnesses have risen against me, and they are breathing out violence.
Verse 13I believe that I shall see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.
Verse 14Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!
Devotion
Psalm 27 will always remind me of my Dad singing "The Lord is My Light." Those words of a song based on Psalm 27 became his lifelong confession of faith: "The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom then shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid." These words stayed with him through all the changes and uncertainties in life. He held on to these words as he left his little town of Stephen, MN, to serve as a P38 pilot in World War II. His parents said goodbye to all four sons as they went off to fight in the war, not knowing if they would ever return. When he came home from the war and became a new dad, he sang these words with my grandma playing the piano, at home and in many different churches. When he was 70 years old, after the first of a series of strokes, he couldn't sing anymore. As much as he struggled over the many succeeding years, still these words stayed with him: "The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?" While he was in hospice care during his last days on earth, I sang these words to him as my confession of faith too: "The 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?"
Prayer
Lord Jesus, You are my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? You are the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? Amen.