Psalm 27

Psalm 27 is quoted today, but only a few bits and pieces.  Much is left out.  Ever wonder about those missing parts?  It begins with #1: “The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom should I fear?”   It ends with #s 13-14: “Wait for the LORD with courage; be stouthearted, and wait for the LORD.”  We have just one in-between passage (#4). 

It’s a beautiful psalm.  When read from start to finish, we appreciate it’s a psalm that understands our doubt, but at the same time, it gives us strength in times of trouble.  For example: “Do not hide your face from me; do not repel your servant in anger. You are my salvation; do not cast me off; do not forsake me, God my savior!”

On the other hand, “The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom should I fear?  The LORD is my life’s refuge; of whom should I be afraid? When evildoers come at me to devour my flesh, these my enemies and foes themselves stumble and fall…For God will hide me in his shelter in time of trouble, he will conceal me in the cover of his tent and set me high upon a rock.”  Much of value is lost to us when we read the “Reader’s Digest” version of the psalms. 

Psalm 27’s missing parts also remind us that sometimes we set aside or forget important times in our lives whether they involved suffering or happiness.  They were memorable – whether good or bad – but the passage of times dims those memories.  Perhaps that’s why we take so many photographs especially now in our welcomed digital camera age.

Take a shot.   Don’t like it?  Take it again, and again, and again.  It’s a do-over.   We all wish our lives had opportunities for do-overs.   Sometimes they are possible especially when we ask those we love to forgive us, and they do.   But when we cannot start again to take another path or make a better choice, then Psalm 27 strikes a chord.   All we can do is “take courage and be stouthearted.  The Lord is our light and salvation.” 

Deacon David Pierce