“The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear?” (Psalm 27:1, NIV)
At my 92-year old grandmother’s wake, her pastor noted that she would often quote today’s psalm; pause for effect; then answer confidently: “Nobody!”
If we live in the light of the Lord, we need not fear those who lurk in the darkness. Though the agents of evil may snare us, the length of our captivity is limited, and our liberation is assured.
Whom shall we fear? “Nobody!” – Luther
“Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.” (Psalm 20:7, NIV)
The “horses” and “chariots” of today are no less alluring than in David’s time.
As disciples of Jesus, the Lord God is not our “last resort”; as in someone we call on when all of our other schemes have failed, and our other means have been exhausted. On the contrary: The Lord God is our first resource.
In the words of the hymn (“What a Friend we have in Jesus”): “O what peace we often forfeit; o what needless pain we bear. All because we do not carry; everything to God in prayer.” – Luther
“In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, O Lord, will keep me safe.” (Psalm 4:8, NLT)
We are reminded daily of the perils of our time: Disease, injury, war, pestilence, mayhem, shortages. . . It is enough to keep you up at night!
Times were just as tough and uncertain in David’s time (and his time was probably a good bit tougher that we have it today). Yet, David — the author of today’s psalm — declares that “in peace I will lie down and sleep.”
David did not derive his peace from his wealth, his military might, his physicians, or his own intelligence. His confidence was based entirely on God. We do well to do likewise. – Luther
