IN THIS, I WILL BE CONFIDENT
Psalms 27:1-3, 13 NKJV
1 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?
2 When the wicked came against me
To eat up my flesh,
My enemies and foes,
They stumbled and fell.
3 Though an army may encamp against me,
My heart shall not fear;
Though war may rise against me,
In this I will be confident.
13 I would have lost heart, unless I had believed
That I would see the goodness of the Lord
In the land of the living.
Because I grew up in the album age of the 70s, I had some top-five albums from that era. From my limited perspective, this was the last great decade of music. But every generation feels that way. I also have some top ten or so psalms. But what is interesting is that top psalms can often change depending on what I am dealing with at a particular time. Psalm 27 is another top psalm for me, and this psalm seems to stay on the list.
The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? David starts right off with a declaration of not just what the Lord is but what the Lord is to him: light and salvation. Light so I can see, and I am not in the dark. Salvation, so that I am saved and delivered from the works and strategies of the enemy. And because I have light and salvation, whom shall I fear? So, my basis for not being afraid is the Lord being in my life as more than a religious ornament but a living source of help.
The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? This verse, Psalms 27:1, has been one of my go-to verses that I speak over my life, that the Lord is my light and salvation. And that the Lord is the strength of my life. We depend on so many things for our strength. Maybe it’s our talents, experiences, or contacts. For some people, it’s their money or position of power. Some have made other people the strength of their lives. David declared that the Lord was his strength. And observing David’s life, he seems to be an excellent example of someone who has made the Lord his source of strength. David faced pressures very few of us face today. We may have people who don’t like us or post negative things about us. David had people trying to kill him.
Verse two elaborates on the pressures David faced. He had people looking to devour him. Not devour in a cannibal way but to put an end to him in a very physical sense. Frankly, I never have to deal with that level of attack. The good news is that the enemies were unsuccessful. They tried but stumbled and fell because the Lord was David’s salvation.
David expressed such a confidence in the Lord. In verse three, he declared that even with an army coming against him, it would not cause him to fear. And David did actually experience armies coming against him. The Philistine armies came against David on numerous occasions and were beaten. David had wars arise against him. The followers of Saul came against the followers of David in a war, but David did not lose heart. He had moments of despair but seemed to always bounce back. In this, I will be confident. With the Lord as his light and salvation, he was confident. With the Lord as the strength of his life, he was confident. David’s confidence is inspiring.
Verse 13 is one of my favorites and offers such a great perspective. I would have lost heart and been discouraged. But David never did because he believed he would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Such a great verse. Such a great reason for staying encouraged. Such a great expectation of the Lord’s goodness and such a reason for confidence.
APPLICATION
Make these verses your own. You can speak these inspired words over your life. You also can declare with David that the Lord is your light, salvation, and the strength of your life. And because the Lord is this, you can be confident. Couple that verse with verse 13 and declare that you believe that you will see the goodness of the Lord in your life in this life. We can express, as David did, that in the Lord, we are confident.
PRAYER
Lord, You are my light, my salvation, and my strength. You are the reason I am not afraid. I believe I will see your goodness in my life. In this, I will be confident.