Psalm 27

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? 

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

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

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. 

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. 

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. 

⁷Hear, 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! 
¹⁰If my father and mother forsake me,
   the Lord will take me up. 

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

¹³I believe that I shall see the goodness of the Lord
   in the land of the living. 
¹⁴Wait for the Lord;
   be strong, and let your heart take courage;
   wait for the Lord!

 

Honestly, I forget that these were read and have been read through the centuries, if not millenniums, in places of worship.  What then, does that say about the God we take comfort in?  What does it say about the God in whom we trust?  What does it say that we can expect as we wait for the Lord?

"If my father and my mother forsake me, the LORD will take me up."  That could work for our children, our extended family.  It sounds good sung in an anthem, but it it is harder to live out in the everyday chorus of life.  

There is much to fear.  Every night, on the news there are stories to incite fear.  We read in the paper stories that paralyze us and make us wonder how can good people get by in this world.  Where is our hope.   It is at those times our prayer is that of the psalmist: "Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!"

Pray Psalm 27.