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?
When the wicked advance against me
to devour me,
it is my enemies and my foes
who will stumble and fall.
Though an army besiege me,
my heart will not fear;
though war break out against me,
even then I will be confident.
One thing I ask from the Lord,
this only do I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord
all the days of my life,
to gaze on the beauty of the Lord
and to seek him in his temple.
For in the day of trouble
he will keep me safe in his dwelling;
he will hide me in the shelter of his sacred tent
and set me high upon a rock.
Then my head will be exalted
above the enemies who surround me;
at his sacred tent I will sacrifice with shouts of joy;
I will sing and make music to the Lord.
Hear my voice when I call, Lord;
be merciful to me and answer me.
My heart says of you, “Seek his face!”
Your face, Lord, I will seek.
Do not hide your face from me,
do not turn your servant away in anger;
you have been my helper.
Do not reject me or forsake me,
God my Savior.
Though my father and mother forsake me,
the Lord will receive me.
Teach me your way, Lord;
lead me in a straight path
because of my oppressors.
Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes,
for false witnesses rise up against me,
spouting malicious accusations.
I remain confident of this:
I will see the goodness of the Lord
in the land of the living.
Wait for the Lord;
be strong and take heart
and wait for the Lord.
Unfortunately, I didn't have much time for blogging this week, so I'll leave you with a quick thought on Psalm 27. Yesterday I noticed that David references confidence twice in the psalm. As I have been preparing to head to Wheaton College for a week of class, I have had those moments of nerves and anxiety about what people will think of me and wanting to be evaluated well. Without a proper perspective, I can follow those temptations down trails of worry and fear. With a proper perspective - God called me to this program and has provided for me to be there; our professor is fantastic and committed to our learning and growth; the women in Propel 7 are the bee's knees and love me as much as I love them - I can have confidence.
It struck me that the confidence David advocates for isn't in his ability to muster up more faith or courage, but instead in focusing on the Lord, his provision, his presence, his power, his mercy, and his present and future promises. What a relief! My takeaway from Psalm 27, which I pass along to you for your edification as well, is this:
The opposite of fear is not faith;
it is confidence in the object of our faith!
